Lost Ones
by Michi G
Summary: A/U. The Ryuugekitai's back in school now and Dilandau's twin sister Celena is going to his school. Dilandau finds his dream girl and makes a new enemy. Woo hoo--*Chapter Five, part 1 & 2!*! Enjoy!
1. Dilandau in the Day

*Author's Notes: Countries in Gaea are used for cities, and the title comes from Lauryn Hill's Lost Ones song which I believe pertains to this story. One of my goals in this story is to incorporate all of my favorite Dilandau quotes somehow in the story. In this chapter I have done three: "Yattekuru ja nai ka (Not bad at all)," "Tanoshii da ne (This is going to be fun)," and part of "Yoku mo...yoku mo boku no utsukushii kao.. (How dare you...how dare you hurt my beatiful face)." Other Japanese I used (Michi used a little too much I think) that may be less known is at the end of this chapter. Enjoy! ^_^  
  
  
  
Lost Ones  
  
Chapter 1: Dilandau In The Day  
  
Michi G.  
  
  
  
Nothing could be better. The sky had a perfect balance of clouds and blue within it, the air was warm and the breeze was cool, and the sandbox was free of anyone else. Dilandau, with his yellow bucket and blue shovel, didn't need anything more. He loved it when his parents brought him to that playground--it was his favorite spot in the world. As he made a hole in the soft substance, he glanced over to his parents sitting on a bench. Their eyes met his, and they smiled at him. Dilandau smiled back and pointed to the hole he was making. His father nodded and gave him a thumbs- up. Dilandau then looked over to the swings where Allen was pushing Celena. Dilandau chuckled to himself, finding it funny someone as old as his brother was doing that. Having viewed enough of his surroundings, Dilandau went back to digging his hole.  
  
Years could have gone by and Dilandau wouldn't have noticed as long as he worked on his hole. Now that he had finished, he examined the dark earth he had uncovered at the bottom. Perhaps it were merely his child view of things, but it seemed to him that the hole was deep enough to hold someone in. However, the person would have to be as wide as his shoe. Dilandau stared down in the hole, pondering what he would do with his creation.  
  
"I like your hole."  
  
Dilandau blinked and looked up to see a girl that seemed to be the same age as he was. "Arigatou," he said, staring at the strange girl.  
  
The girl smiled. "Can I play with you?" she asked.  
  
Dilandau looked at her for a long time, noticing that she had gentle, pleasing eyes. They were sort of like looking at water. "Yeah, he said. He smiled as she sat across from him on the other side of his hole. She couldn't possibly be a mean person, he thought.  
  
"Here," Dilandau said, handing her his shovel. "You should dig a hole. It's fun."  
  
"Hontou?" The girl looked down at his hole as if admiring it.  
  
"Uhn."  
  
The girl looked back at him with another smile. "Anata..." she said.  
  
"Huh?" Dilandau said.  
  
"You're a really nice person, ne?"  
  
Dilandau tilted his head a little. "I think..." No one had ever said that to him, but no one had ever said he was mean either.  
  
"Always be like that," the girl said. "Never change."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Oniichan!"  
  
Dilandau looked in the direction of Celena's voice. Allen and she were standing by their parents, waiting for Dilandau to come. He waved at them to indicate he was coming and turned back to the little girl.  
  
"Ee?" Dilandau only saw his blue shovel across from him. He didn't even see footprints that showed the girl had ever been there.  
  
"Dare--"  
  
"Dilandau! Hayaku!" Celena's voice echoed in his head...  
  
***  
  
Dilandau's eyes focused on a white ceiling. He turned in his bed, his ruby eyes meeting with the thin stream of light peeking from the curtains. He rolled over to the other side of his bed, staring at his door.  
  
"Yume...ka?" Dilandau murmured. He frowned and rubbed his eyes. Would he ever stop dreaming about that moment in his childhood? It was bad enough thinking about when he was small and weaker without having to thinking about his deceased parents.  
  
Dilandau rose from his bed and glanced at the clock on the stand next to his bed. It was a few minutes past ten o'clock. That was a little earlier than Dilandau liked to be up, but it just gave him more time for his daily activities. Summer vacation was well almost over by now. Two weeks remained before school would start, and Dilandau was quite used to the routine he had developed. It involved him leaving the house every day with his crew and coming back home as late as six in the morning. Allen didn't like it, but it wasn't as if Dilandau cared what his older brother liked.  
  
"Ah, I hate mornings," Dilandau said, drawing back the curtains. He glowered at all of the sunshine pouring into his room and eyes. He stayed like this for a long time before his lips twisted into a grin. "Shikashi, it's another day to cause hell." He chuckled at the thought of that.  
  
***  
  
Dilandau jingled his car keys in his hand as he headed down the steep wooden stairs. He had managed to get his restricted license at fifteen. Restricted--that was laughable for Dilandau. Did they really expect him to abide by the 6:00 P.M. driving curfew? If he had he would have only managed to do a fourth of the trouble he had stirred up. Once it got dark, the real fun started.  
  
"Dilandau!"  
  
Almost out the kitchen door, Dilandau was stopped by Allen's voice. "Nan da?" He held the keys tighter in his hand until the metal began to dig into his skin.  
  
"I need you to do a favor for your sister."  
  
Dilandau slowly turned around to see Allen and Celena standing by the kitchen table. He wasn't surprised he didn't notice they were there; he hardly looked at the two. Allen was frowning at him, and Celena looked worried as she often did. Dilandau, for the moment, kept his cool.  
  
"What exactly is this favor?" he asked evenly.  
  
"Drive Celena to her class," Allen said, well prepared for Dilandau's reaction.  
  
"Drive her where??" For the year Dilandau had his car, none of his family members had even been allowed to look inside it.  
  
"Celena's taking a writing class at the Youth Center," Allen explained. "I would take her, but I'm already late for an appointment."  
  
"Youth Center?? That's in the next town!" That would delay his plans for the day for at least an hour.  
  
Allen glanced at his watch. "Stop making such a big deal out of it," he said. "I know you and your buddies travel around all the time."  
  
"Allen!" Dilandau took a second or two to compose himself. "You said that this car was mine, and I would decide who does and doesn't ride in it!"  
  
"Celena's your sister for God's sake!"  
  
"And?"  
  
Allen ran a hand through his blonde hair. "Listen, I don't have time to argue with you," he said. He started for the kitchen door. "Take Celena to her class or I'll sell your car."  
  
Dilandau tried to say something in protest, but Allen closed the door before he could. He stood there in the kitchen in outraged shock, listening to Allen's car starting up and pulling out the driveway. When everything was silent except for the ticking of the kitchen clock, Dilandau turned to his sister still standing quietly next to the table. He glared at her, not only annoyed with her sudden activity he would have to drive her to, but her great resemblance to him. When she looked as she did, eyes filled with guilt and lips in a pitiful pout, Dilandau hated that he was one of the unlucky people born as twins. He wasn't sure which was worse: having a girl twin or having a twin of the same sex. A girl twin made him have no doubts what he'd look like in drag (a disgusting thought to Dilandau) and a male twin would vex him if he were like Celena and provoke him if he were like himself. The thought that a female twin was less annoying than a male one, calmed him enough that he stopped glaring at Celena.  
  
"Yoku mo... Allen..." Dilandau said, narrowing his eyes as if his brother were there. He headed for the door. "He'll pay for this later."  
  
"O...oniich--"  
  
"Hayaku!" Dilandau snapped, throwing open the door. He didn't wait for Celena to reply before exiting the house.  
  
Celena quickly followed him, aware that her older brother (by a minute) would leave her if she kept him waiting. As Dilandau constantly reminded his family and others who kept him waiting: "I hate waiting." Though her brother had changed a great deal in the past years, she wasn't sure if his lack of patience was a new thing.  
  
"Ano..." Celena said once she was buckled up in Dilandau's car, "ari...arigatou..."  
  
The engine made a soft roar as Dilandau turned the key in the ignition. "Hmph," he said, eyes never meeting hers, "What are you thanking me for?"  
  
"I know you didn't want to take me--"  
  
"Sou." Celena jerked forward as Dilandau backed roughly out of the driveway. "So shut up and enjoy the last time I ever give you a ride."  
  
Celena nodded and looked down at the gray-carpeted floor. Now that she was finally able to look inside Dilandau's car, she noticed how clean it was. She knew her brother wasn't a stranger to parties, yet there were no beer bottles, empty cigarette cartons, dirty clothes, or any other kind of litter that suggested Dilandau did anything he wasn't supposed to do. Celena lifted her head when Dilandau turned on his music, and she ceased all thoughts of his neat car.  
  
The car was now cluttered with the sound of heavy metal music: screaming guitars and booming drum beats. Celena glanced at Dilandau to see if the sound actually pleased him, but his usual frown was set in his features. Celena fixed her eyes on the window ahead, trying her best not to let the loud music bother her.  
  
Later, when Celena noticed how fast the sights of Zaibach, their hometown, were passing by, she realized Dilandau was driving moderately fast. She checked the speedometer behind the steering wheel and saw her brother going about sixty miles per hour. At this rate, they passed a speed limit sign in no time, revealing the speed to be forty-five miles per hour. Celena was slightly worried, especially since Dilandau didn't seem like he was keeping a constant speed. In fact, when Celena looked at his speedometer again, it read Dilandau's speed to be sixty-five. She pressed her lips firmly together and lightly gripped the seat belt across her chest. However, she calmed as she saw a red light at the next intersection.  
  
Dilandau paid no heed to the red light which was obvious by his lack of deceleration. Celena gasped, realizing he were gong to keep going straight through. Her brother went through the intersection as if it were nothing. Two cars stopped to prevent a crash, and all the cars effected by Dilandau's driving honked their horns. When they were in the clear, but still hearing the bitter sounds of the other cars, Celena let out a relieved breath. Dilandau's frown melted into a grin.  
  
He let out a short chuckle. "Zama miro," he said in response to the angry drivers. Though his voice was barely heard over the still going music, his laughter was clear as if the car were silent.  
  
"Dilandau! Abunai desu!" Celena said.  
  
"Uruse! Who asked for your opinion?" Dilandau glared at her once and that was enough to make her drop her head a second time.  
  
He put his eyes back on the road again and only slowed to make a right turn. *Allen...* he thought. *This is all of your fault. If you hadn't thrown your own responsibility on me, I wouldn't have ever needed to drive Celena anywhere! Shoushite I wouldn't have to hear her damn complaints!*  
  
Dilandau did start to drive better when they drove past the sign indicating they were now in Asturia city limits. He knew that cops there just waited for someone like him to make a driving mistake, so they could revoke his license. Dilandau would never let that happen. He'd let his house be burned down before he was without a license. Then again, even if he didn't have a license he would drive. There was no way he would depend on Allen or Celena (by some miracle she received a license, Dilandau thought).  
  
Celena realized that, upon seeing the Palas Youth Center's brick roof down the next street, Dilandau's insane driving had cut their trip time by at least twenty minutes. She was grateful she wouldn't have to feel like she was invading Dilandau's personal space for much longer, but gave a shiver thinking how Dilandau would drive if he were on the interstate.  
  
Dilandau stopped his car in front of the building. "Get out," he said, staring ahead of him.  
  
Celena fumbled to get her seat belt unbuckled and opened her car door. "Ari... arigatou, Dilan..."  
  
Dilandau gripped the steering wheel tighter, enough to signal Celena that he was getting aggravated with her. He barely waited for her to close the door behind her before he drove off. Celena watched his red car disappear in the distance, sad with the thought that was the most time they spent together in the last two months.  
  
***  
  
Gatty's dark azure car was already at their headquarters when Dilandau parked at his usual spot. Yes, Dilandau and his gang had headquarters. It was the Vione restaurant, just off Main Street. Why was the Vione good location? The Vione was known for attracting shady characters and even employing some. It was a place the police would like to shut down, but couldn't find anything on the restaurant to manage that. It was somewhat of a delinquent haven; how many times had Dilandau and the others hid there to stay away from the police? As about as many times as Dilandau had been pulled over or stopped by the police. He knew that he looked like trouble, and the police knew it too. It was just too bad the cops could never get enough evidence on him to lock him up.  
  
Dilandau nodded to the "host" at the door sitting on a stool, leering at all who approached the Vione. The man grinned and nodded in return to Dilandau. He entered the Vione; a few at the tables he passed called out to him, and Dilandau simply grinned in response. Finally he reached his own circular booth near the back window where his crew was eagerly awaiting him.  
  
"All right, let's begin," Dilandau said once he arrived at the table.  
  
The six boys rose and shared the grin with their leader. "Hai, Dilandau-san," they said. They sat down again as Dilandau took his seat near the center of the booth.  
  
"Shesta?"  
  
Shesta waited for Dilandau to give a nod as well before speaking. "The first activity on our list is to glue shut the mailboxes on Simmons Street," he reported from a printed list.  
  
Dilandau snorted. "Who came up with that?" he asked.  
  
"It was me," Miguel replied. He took a bottle of glue from his pocket. "Yesterday I stole this extra-strength glue because they card you, you know, and I found out just how powerful this stuff really is."  
  
"And so you thought we should shut people's mailboxes with it?"  
  
"Hai, Dilandau-san."  
  
"Have you tried it out yet?"  
  
"Hai, on an old woman's mailbox on my street. She had to take an ax to it!" Dilandau grinned and the other five snickered.  
  
"Approved; next?"  
  
"At the pet shop--"  
  
"Ah, Dilandau," someone said, cutting Shesta off.  
  
Dilandau saw the head "chef" approaching him with a parcel in hand. "This came in for you today," he said. He laid it on the table in front of Dilandau.  
  
"Ah, what is it this time, Dilandau-san?" Gatty asked as his leader grasped the box.  
  
"Saa?" Dilandau shrugged. In truth he had forgotten what it was he had ordered; after all, he had been involved in so much as of late.  
  
Dilandau ripped open the box and dug around for the item or items inside. As his fingers touched something and he was able to get a feel for it, he grinned in recognition. The others watched him patiently, waiting for him to explain his grin.  
  
"I had forgotten about these," Dilandau said, pulling out a plastic- looking book. It was about as thick as a real one, with its third dimensions, but it looked much heavier.  
  
"That can't possibly be a real book," Dallet commented.  
  
"It's our second activity for the day," Dilandau chuckled. His response was received by six looks of confusion.  
  
"Look here."  
  
They watched as Dilandau opened the book, revealing it to be some kind of sound system. Two speakers lined the inside and in between was a small screen above two lines of buttons. Now they all had a better idea of what the item was, but none of them understood what they would be using it for.  
  
"A...ano...Dilandau-san..." Shesta began before Dilandau raised his hand to silence him.  
  
"Remember in the seventh grade when we were kicked out of the public library?" Dilandau asked, pulling the other "books" from the box.  
  
"The librarian claimed we were too loud," Viole recalled.  
  
"Why were we there again?" Guimel asked, frowning at the memory of being treated like riffraff.  
  
"We had a project or something to do," Gatty answered. He now joined the others in a frown. "We weren't even as half as bad then as we are now."  
  
Dilandau finished emptying the box. "I'm glad you're all having fun strolling down memory lane," he said, thin brow raised. His friends apologized, and Dilandau waved it off. "I've been wanting to do something to that library for some time. My first thought was to set a book on fire and put it back on the shelf, but to get away with arson like that is tricky. Plus, the library's not important enough for me to risk that. Finally, I settled on a loud disturbance that will take the librarians a while to correct."  
  
"In disturbance you mean the 'books,'" Viole said.  
  
"What else?" Dilandau picked up one of the items again and pointed to the inside. "Now if you press this button you can set the radio to go off at a certain time." He paused in his lecture as he showed them what to do. "So we will synchronize all of these for a specific time, put them on shelves in the library, and wait for the music to go off."  
  
Shesta immediately began crossing out what had previously been the second activity and added the new one. The others laughed and praised Dilandau's good plan. Dilandau lightly grinned, thinking the morning and afternoon couldn't produce as many results as the evening. Their night schedule was definitely his preference.  
  
***  
  
Dilandau had to give Miguel credit for not only a clever way to upset people, but choosing an appropriate location for their plan. Simmons Street had well known basketball court that most kids would use within the city limits. It was the perfect excuse to be on the street and seem perfectly innocent. Of course, gluing shut mailboxes in broad daylight was risky, but Dilandau rather liked the challenge. Though he liked it when it got dark, the day wasn't without its appeal. That's the main reason Dilandau conducted during the day as well; he loved the challenge.  
  
"Oi, here comes someone else," Miguel said, spinning a basketball on his finger. They all watched attentively as their plan gained another victim.  
  
A middle-aged woman about two houses from the basketball court casually walked to her mailbox. Expecting nothing to be out of the ordinary, she pulled back the lid with little effort. However, her little effort wasn't enough to get her mailbox open. She tried again with greater force and still was unable to open it. The Ryuugekitai, as Dilandau decided he and his friends should be known, began to snicker at the woman's plight. She started to tug at the lid furiously and smacked the black box a few times in frustration. The seven boys had a good laugh before the woman gave up and went back into her house. Another person, a man who had previously learned his mailbox wasn't going to open for him, came out promptly with crowbar in hand. It seemed things were really going to get interesting.  
  
"If he uses that will the glue still hold?" Shesta wondered, leaning against the fence that enclosed the basketball court.  
  
"It glued a bowling ball to a window," Miguel said. He paused for a moment, laughing at the man trying to levy open the lid with crowbar. "It should hold."  
  
"Even if it doesn't, it will be very amusing," Dilandau came in. The man wasn't taking any heed to what would happen if he finally succeeded in getting the mailbox open.  
  
"It is kinda hot today," Gatty said. "Maybe the heat will cause the glue to loose its effect."  
  
"Or fuse it with the metal even better," Dallet commented. He received a glare from Gatty and matched the look evenly.  
  
Either Gatty was correct or Miguel overestimated the power of the glue because the man succeeded in opening the mailbox with the crowbar. However, his actions were indeed done as Dilandau had noticed, and the teenager was correct in his hypothesis of what would happen because of the man's actions. As soon as the lid popped open, the man went flying, crowbar in hand, onto the street. The crowbar dropped out of his hand as he landed and he lied on his back moaning. Another man who had just then stepped out to get his mail rushed out to aid the fallen man. The Ryuugekitai were cracking up.  
  
"What an idiot!" Viole said. He had sat down on the ground a minute ago so that he wouldn't fall over in laughter.  
  
The crowbar man stood, with help from his neighbor. The two of them glanced at the laughing boys some houses down at the basketball court and said something to each other. The look was taken no heed by Dilandau and his crew. The crowbar man and his neighbor went to inspect the mailbox and pulled out a strange card that was taped on the inside. It was the text- less card of the Ryuugekitai; two years ago Dilandau and the others decided to leave their mark whenever they could or felt it was necessary. The red and black picture was well known after they had put it as graffiti on the statue in front of City Hall. The graffiti had been removed by now (that was well over a year ago), but the uproar the action brought was enough to make them infamous. Only a few linked the Ryuugekitai to the symbol; most linked the symbol to a nameless gang that plagued the city.  
  
"'It's...that...group...of...vandals,'" Guimel said, squinting as he read the man's lips from afar. He grinned in pride of the label as well as his ability to read lips from that far of a distance. Dilandau giggled in the demented manner that was uniquely his. "Yattekuru ja nai ka," he said.  
  
Miguel smirked to the others as if Dilandau were directly complimenting his genius. All but Shesta, who was glancing at his watch, glared at Miguel. Dilandau didn't notice; his attention was on the disturbed people. Before any of the Ryuugekitai could act on their dislike of Miguel's high-and-mighty attitude, Shesta cleared his throat. Odd as it were, that gripped Dilandau's attention.  
  
"If we want to still do the library prank, we should get going now," Shesta said. "Today the library is closing early."  
  
"Hmph, I guess we better go then," Dilandau said.  
  
"Demo--" Miguel began. He cut himself off as Viole grabbed the ball from his hands.  
  
"You heard Dilandau-san," Viole said. The light smile on his face caused a frown on Miguel's face. However, he didn't have any more time to dispute the matter; the other Ryuugekitai were leaving, and he would have to follow.  
  
***  
  
Having six boys at your disposal was easier than having an odd number of henchmen. Dilandau split the Ryuugekitai into three groups of two, as he often did, and assigned them to a different area in the library. Gatty and Dallet were setting up in the reference area, Miguel and Viole were in the fiction section, and Guimel and Shesta were in the children's section. Dilandau couldn't have picked a better day. A woman was reading to several children in the "pit" surrounded by the shelves of books. The interruption caused by the loud music would be an amusing sight, Dilandau thought. The number present in the rest of the library was considerable as well; Dilandau guessed that to be because of the library's early closing. Still, he wondered why so many people used the library, especially since it was summer. This was his second time visiting the library in his whole life.  
  
Dilandau, sitting at a table in the center of the library, constantly glanced over the book he held so that he could monitor the Ryuugekitai. They had set the radios to turn to the heavy rock station twenty minutes after they entered the library. All seemed to be going according to plan, except for the distraction Gatty and Dallet were having. He frowned; what the hell were they doing?  
  
"Dallet, we don't have time to mess around!" Gatty called up to his friend on the tall ladder. They had to still place three more "books" on the shelves. "We only have ten minutes left!"  
  
"Will you get a grip?" Dallet said, grinning at something afar. "We're supposed to remain inconspicuous. Not only are you drawing more attention to us, there are people watching us right now."  
  
"More like at you," Gatty grumbled. "And it's you making them stare!"  
  
Three girls two shelves away were giggling and making flirtatious glances at Dallet who returned them just as eagerly. Not only was Gatty upset at his lack of priority, but he was also angry that Dallet's womanizing would get them caught. If they were caught, it would ruin Dilandau's plan; if Dilandau's plan were ruined--a slap would be a light consequence. Not that Dallet's behavior was surprising, Gatty thought with a sour attitude, but he definitely wasn't going to endure Dilandau's wrath because of Dallet's actions. The straw blond decided to take matters in his own hands. Gatty casually strolled over to the girls that were distracting Dallet from his duty. "Excuse me," he said more politely than if expressing his true feelings, "but I noticed you three were eyeing that guy over there."  
  
"Mochiron!" one of them said. "He's so cute!" The other two nodded and giggled in agreement.  
  
"Well, I'm glad you think so," Gatty said, smirking. "Shikashi, zan'nen da; he's my boyfriend."  
  
"Boyfriend??" It was amazing how three people could speak together like that without having planned it. Needless to say, the three girls began to retreat to the other side of the library.  
  
"Should have known someone that pretty was gay..." the first girl grumbled.  
  
"Yeah, " the second girl said as she went away with the other two, "but now that I think about it, he did look a little gay at first..."  
  
Gatty was more satisfied with lowering himself to do that with the girls' last comments. He went back to Dallet, who was descending the ladder, with a much better attitude than before. Dallet looked ready to pounce on him.  
  
"What the hell did you say to them?" Dallet demanded.  
  
Gatty smiled at Dallet's scowling face. "What does it matter? We haven't finished our job yet."  
  
Dallet stepped forward so that he was in Gatty's face. "Tell me, damnit!"  
  
"I said I was your boyfriend," Gatty said offhandly. He started pushing the ladder toward the next assigned spot in the library.  
  
Dallet starting sputtering to repeat what Gatty had said, making Gatty smirk at him. He held back his laughter while Dallet turned red and balled up his fists.  
  
"Boyfriend!!" Dallet glanced around to see if anyone had heard him and then lowered his voice. "Omae, why'd you say something like that for??"  
  
"Come on, Dallet, I know you've wished for the day I'd return your affection for me," Gatty jeered. When Dallet starting fuming again with a redder face, the only way Gatty could get him over the "boyfriend" thing was to remind him once again that they were running out of time. A reminder that Dilandau was watching them also helped Dallet get back on task.  
  
Five minutes before the music would go off, all but Gatty and Dallet had joined Dilandau. However, they seemed to be finishing up, so Dilandau held back his anger for the moment.  
  
"Hmph, Dallet and Gatty aren't finished yet?" Viole mused. "That's mildly surprising."  
  
"We have four minutes and forty-six seconds left," Shesta reported.  
  
"Whatever the problem was, Gatty took care of it," Miguel said, having seen part of what had happened.  
  
By this time they had expected Dilandau to say something, but he remained silent, hands folded in front of him. It wasn't a mystery why he was acting this way, but it was a mystery what he would do when the last two Ryuugekitai arrived (yes, some kind of physical punishment from Dilandau, but of what nature). With Dilandau in such a calm angry, the other four were more uneasy than they were when Dilandau was yelling and slapping at will.  
  
"T...Two minutes...left..." Shesta said, swallowing as he said that.  
  
Gatty and Dallet came to the table a few seconds later. The two seats on both sides of Dilandau were empty; from there were seven additional chairs around the wooden table. Gatty sat to the curve on Dilandau's right where Miguel and Shesta were seated, while Dallet sat to the curve to his leader's left where Guimel and Viole were seated. Neither was brave enough to sit directly across Dilandau. The Ryuugekitai expected Dilandau to say something now that they were all assembled, but still he were silent. No one more than Gatty and Dallet were nervous.  
  
"We have--"  
  
"Mou ii, Shesta," Dilandau said. The Ryuugekitai let out a breath, hearing Dilandau's voice at last.  
  
The calm displease on Dilandau's face gradually turned into a wicked grin. He monitored his watch closely as they drew near to the last few seconds. While four of the Ryuugekitai were rid of any tension, the two who were tardy were even more nervous. Dilandau hadn't mentioned the fact they weren't timely, and they all knew (the hard way) that Dilandau absolutely hated to be kept waiting. Since their leader hadn't reprimanded them now, he was going to get Dallet and Miguel later. Unfortunately for them they hadn't gotten on Dilandau's bad side at the hours nearer to the end of the night instead of closer to the beginning of the night; otherwise Dilandau would have gotten them on the following morning where Dilandau was at a low (as low as someone with as much energy as him could get). At night Dilandau was at his high and didn't come down until he finally decided to travel home. Lenient Dilandau at night? A thing rarely seen. Gatty glared across at Dallet who adverted his eyes to avoid the other's stare.  
  
Despite the less than perfect manner the plan was set up, its execution went perfectly. People jumped and stared incredulously as the library was overtaken by horribly loud music. All the "books" had been set to the maximum volume and had quite a bit static to go along with it. Many quickly exited the library to escape the sound, including the children present. Several of the young ones were crying from the excessive noise and were making their guided exit from the library difficult. The librarians began scrambling around, shouting for something--it was hard to hear with all the noise going on. And all the noise of the books in combination made it difficult to determine the exact source of the disturbance.  
  
This was the kind of prank that really amused Dilandau. Loud noise, confusion, people fleeing as if in pain (or truly in pain)--all the things that were related to chaos. The delight he was experiencing was apparent by his maniacal laughter (just below the volume of the music) and the evil glee reflecting in his crimson eyes. Most people would have been unsettled by the teenager's sinister manner, but the Ryuugekitai was completely encouraged by it. They joined Dilandau in the merriment, though none of them could be as pleased as Dilandau himself. For the moment Gatty and Dallet forget they were on slightly bad terms with Dilandau and were enjoying themselves as if nothing were different. When they pulled pranks such as this that was the norm.  
  
"Did you disable the ladders in some way?" Dilandau asked, his projective voice rising over the noise.  
  
"We unscrewed the wheels on them!" Miguel answered.  
  
"Dallet?"  
  
"Hai, us too!"  
  
"Good," Dilandau said at regular volume, "you two managed to do something during your time of fooling around."  
  
No one knew what he said, except Guimel who was good at reading lips. He smirked and looked to Dallet. Dallet frowned, realizing Guimel knew something he didn't, but of course he couldn't say anything at the moment. Dilandau was relish the moment again, commenting in his louder voice how nice it was to be in a library with so little people. However, the Ryuugekitai was soon brought to the library's attention.  
  
"You kids!" a man said, pointing at them. "Do you have any idea where all this racket's coming from??  
  
Dilandau cupped his hand around his ear. "Nani??" he said. "Are you talking to me??" The Ryuugekitai exploded with laughter.  
  
"Why you little--"  
  
"Someone unscrewed the wheels to the ladders!" another man said, rushing over to the other man. "We can't check the higher shelves!!"  
  
"What the hell is going on??" More laughter from the seven boys caused the first man to glance at them again. "You kids know something don't you??"  
  
"Us??" Dilandau said, loosening his tight expression so he had the appearance of innocent shock. "Masaka!" The man wasn't convinced, especially by the Ryuugekitai's laughter that followed Dilandau's claim.  
  
"If you kids did this, I'll have you arrested!"  
  
"Ah, I can't stand all this noise," Dilandau said, somehow managing a sigh in such a loud voice. "Let's go guys!"  
  
"Yeah, my ears hurt!" Viole said, holding onto them as if he were in pain.  
  
"This library is the nosiest library I've ever been to!" Miguel said. He rose with the others as they began to leave. "I'm never coming back!"  
  
"Grr!!" The first man had an idea the seven were in on the prank somehow, but he had no proof, so he let them leave for the exit as they pleased.  
  
Dilandau and his buddies continued to laugh and poke fun at the library as they left. A flustered librarian stood at the desk near the doors the seven were approaching. She glared at them and had a sudden flashback. Her cheeks reddened and she pointed at them furiously.  
  
"You're those punks I threw out of here about three years ago!" she shrieked quite well over the music. This just caused more laughter from the boys.  
  
Dilandau narrowed his eyes as he grinned at the old lady. "And?" he said.  
  
The woman shook with anger as Dilandau and the others departed from the library. From outside, where many of those who had retreated the library were gathered, it sounded as if the library was having a concert. Several people who passed by the institute stared at the library as if it was a flashy porn store. Dilandau and his crew went on their merry way, hands clean as always.  
  
"Well, I guess we've worked up an appetite," Dilandau said, standing on the sidewalk not far from the library. "Let's take a break to eat and then start our nightly activities." He was met by nothing but enthusiastic consent.  
  
Dilandau grinned to himself as the Ryuugekitai argued over where to eat; the teenager's mind was already set on the darker hours. "Tanoshii da ne..." he said in anticipation.  
  
**Owari  
  
Abunai desu--That's dangerous!  
  
Uruse--Shut up (Ruder than some other forms of shut up)  
  
Shikashi--However/But  
  
Shoushite--And so/Then  
  
Zama miro--Kiss my ass!/Serves you right!/That's what you get!/Take that!  
  
Zan'nen da--That's too bad (Sometimes used for I'm sorry)  
  
Coming soon--Dilandau In The Night! See some of Dilandau's activities at night and what he decides to do to Gatty and Dallet for making him wait. And just how does Allen feel about his little brother staying out to odd hours of the night? Bear with me as I strive to get this next chapter up! 


	2. Dilandau in the Night, Part One

*Author's Notes: Yeah, I upped the rating because of the increase in profanity and the suggestion of sex (the whole level two thing). Anyway, this chapter was so long I broke it up into two parts. Why's it so long? Well, I guess you could call this chapter a chapter of foreshadowing. The next six chapters will somehow explain how each Ryuugekitai became involved with Dilandau (without stopping the motion of the actual fic, with luck), so be alert for all the implications I've scattered about each of them. I hope no one thinks that Ryuugekitai are acting too mature for their ages (they're just really bad kids) or too mean (cuz maybe they are), but later chapters will show you that they all do actually like each other. From the slight mention of the girl in Dilandau's dream again, you can tell that she will pop up again... Maybe in two chapters? Not sure. Well, enjoy please (and don't be too harsh on me; I've never been to a club before!)  
  
  
  
Chapter Two: Dilandau in the Night, Part One  
  
  
  
Ideas just came to Dilandau--like a sixth sense. He didn't have to sit around all day to formulate plans; they just came to him. This was true when he had looked at a gadget magazine and came across the "books" that he had used in the lovely library prank. It was certainly true now as he and the Ryuugekitai set forth on another prank. However, this one, unlike what they had done in the library, would have greater consequences if they were caught. Yes, if they were caught; Dilandau never planned for that to happen and if it did, he manage some way out of it. He'd be damned if he'd serve time or do community service.  
  
Dilandau watched as Miguel and Guimel set up the den they planned to ruin. Dilandau had been in the neighborhood before and noticed that this elderly couple never locked their windows. Some nights they would leave their downstairs windows right open. It was a direct invitation to burglars, but Dilandau had no desire to steal what the ancient couple possessed. The only thing of real value in the house was the television. The furniture looked twice as old and worn out as the couple. Hopefully, Dilandau had thought, the old couple would have a heart attack from what they planned to do.  
  
The two Ryuugekitai closed the door leading to the adjacent living room, the door that led to the hall between the stairs and the dining room, and finally the door that led to the kitchen. The door to the kitchen was one of the reason Dilandau developed the plan. There weren't a great many houses that could completely shut up their family room. As Guimel and Miguel began stuffing sheets they had brought under the doors, Dilandau clicked on the walkie-talkie he held in his black gloved hand.  
  
"Any changes, Shesta?"  
  
Shesta, on the other side of the house, viewing the couple's bedroom, dropped the binoculars hanging around his neck. "Iie," he said into the receiver. "They're still sleeping soundly."  
  
Dilandau smirked, wondering if anything would wake up the old geezers. He glanced over his shoulder at the neighboring houses to make sure no one was onto them yet. Even if they were seen, their all black attire would keep their identities secret. Even their faces were concealed with ski masks which required them to put a different spot of color on each person's mask for distinguishing.  
  
"Finished," Miguel said softly, wearing the mask with the brown spot on it. He motioned to his friend with the yellow spot and they exited through the window Dilandau was kneeled next to.  
  
"Are we waiting for the other three show up before going through with the next step?" Guimel asked, now standing by his leader with the red spot.  
  
"Iie, I think they'll be prompt," Dilandau said, making a thin smile. Knowing what Dilandau meant by that the other two snickered.  
  
"Saa, bring the hose around from the side of the house," Dilandau said. He clicked on the walkie-talkie. "Keep us posted of any changes, Shesta."  
  
"Hai, Dilandau-san," the walkie-talkie said as Shesta's voice came through. Miguel left after that to retrieve the hose.  
  
"Um, Dilandau-san?"  
  
"Nan da?" Dilandau said casually. Usually would give a curt response to any inquiry that began like that, but tonight he was in an especially good mood.  
  
"Well, not that your judgment isn't always right," Guimel said, trying to prevent a slap before he could finish, "but there is there a reason you sent Gatty and Dallet to do the 'dirty work' this time?"  
  
The light smile that was on Dilandau's face turned into a wide grin. "Perhaps I'm giving them a chance to redeem themselves," he said. He shrugged as if he really didn't know. "After all, the best of us to do a job quickly are those who are already on bad terms for a time issue, desshou?"  
  
Guimel nodded and hid the smile he wanted to give. He knew Dilandau's statement meant no guarantees Gatty and Dallet would be let off the hook. Rather, he figured Dilandau wanted them to mess around again, so he could get them twice as badly.  
  
"Hai (Here), Dilandau-san," Miguel said, handing him the hose.  
  
"Yoshi," Dilandau said. He nodded and Miguel went back so that he could turn the water on.  
  
Dilandau positioned the nozzle so that it was hanging over the window sill of the window they had opened. The water began pouring out quickly, causing Dilandau to have to hold it for support. By the time Miguel came back from the side of the house there was a nice puddle forming on the wooden floor. The three took much delight in watching the gradual spreading of the water. The rug in front of the couch, soon becoming soaked, looked as though it were worth something, so to see it drenched was quite amusing. Dilandau wasn't sure if the plastic covers they had put into the electric plugs would prevent an electric shock. After all, if electricity was surging through the water when the others arrived, it would minimize the quality of the plan. He would find out in about twenty minutes or so with the rate the water was pouring onto the floor. There were four outlets about a foot from the floor.  
  
When the water finally was touching the whole floor, Shesta's voice came over the walkie-talkie. Dilandau, missing what he had said, took it with his free hand. "Nan da, Shesta?" he asked.  
  
"The others are coming."  
  
"Sou ka?" Dilandau said. He looked behind him to see three black figures approaching. He grinned to himself. "Just as I thought…"  
  
The purple-spotted one reached the house first. "Are we on schedule?" Viole asked, plastic container of brown water in his hands.  
  
"I'd tell you if you weren't," Dilandau said, his eyes on the blue and green spot behind him. "I think we'll wait for the water to rise a little more." They all nodded in agreement, except the blue-spotted one who seemed to be distracted. Even though Dilandau's grin was limited to the small hole, when he curved his grin so that it seemed wicked, only a small part of it needed to be shown to the Ryuugekitai for them to realize that.  
  
Dilandau motioned for Guimel to take the hose and the red-spotted one stepped up closer to the blue one. "Doushita, Gatty?" he said, placing a hand on his hip. "You look so grim."  
  
Gr…grim?" Gatty repeated. He wasn't surprised because it wasn't true; he was surprised because Dilandau could tell with so little of his face showing. The others murmured their amazement of Dilandau's level of perception.  
  
"Sou, grim," Dilandau said. "Masaka, you don't think this is a good idea?"  
  
"I…iie…" Gatty shifted uncomfortably. "This is a great idea."  
  
Dilandau put a hand on his shoulder, nearly chuckling at how stiff his friend became when he did that. "Then act like it," he said.  
  
"Hai," Gatty said, unable to look away from the two pools of blood that were Dilandau's eyes.  
  
"Good, we all need to have 'fun' on our last days of summer," Dilandau said. He removed his hand from Gatty, relieving Gatty of some his tension, and turned to Guimel. "How high is the water?"  
  
"About a foot now," Guimel said.  
  
"That's good enough." Dilandau turned back to the three. "Go ahead."  
  
Viole, Gatty, and Dallet proceeded to the open window and carefully poured the contents of their containers in the room. Frogs (including tadpoles), worms, crickets, lizards, tiny snakes, and other swamp creatures they had collected either floated or sat in the shallow water. The water was already beginning to make a black ring on the white wall it touched, giving the prank a nice touch. While Dilandau and the other three Ryuugekitai were laughing and commenting about the scene, Dallet pulled Gatty aside toward the adjacent closed window.  
  
"Dilandau-san's in a good mood; we don't have anything to worry about," Dallet said.  
  
"I know him a little better than you do, Dallet," Gatty snapped. "You think our trip to the swamp was his payback? He was pissed off at us at the library."  
  
"Don't you think he would have slapped us or said something that showed he was angry?"  
  
"Not then and there--we were in the middle of a prank!"  
  
"Yeah, and we're in the middle of one right now."  
  
"Later we're--"  
  
"--going to the club. You know Dilandau-san will be too busy with his own activities to worry about us."  
  
Gatty sighed and held back the urge to punch Dallet in his face. He had meant to from the moment he put them in Dilandau's line of fire. Yet, he couldn't; that was one of Dilandau's rules. He didn't mind if they fought on their own time, but his time was precious. During a prank the Ryuugekitai needed to work as a team.  
  
"Dallet and Gatty."  
  
The two addressed stopped the glare-down they had started and turned their attention on Dilandau. He wasn't frowning (a good sign), but one could never quite decipher one of his grins. A good guess was he was plotting against you, but it was possible he was genuinely amused. They hoped it was the latter.  
  
"Am I boring you two?" Dilandau was met with two immediate responses in the negative. They stood with the others and Dilandau nodded. "That's better. All right, let's proceed to the final step."  
  
"I'll do it," Dallet volunteered. He ignored the look Gatty was giving him.  
  
Dilandau nodded again and Dallet went around to the front door. Dilandau clicked the walkie-talkie on again. "Shesta, we've begun the final step."  
  
"Hai, Dilandau-san."  
  
Dallet began ringing the door bell furiously while the others (excluding Shesta) waited for the last part of their prank to begin. Shesta watched the old man of the house get up from his bed as if someone had shoved him out of it. He said some words to his wrinkled and alarmed wife and began to leave the room. Shesta clicked on his walkie-talkie.  
  
"The old man's left the room," the blonde reported.  
  
"Ii yo," Dilandau laughed as he received Shesta's message. He grinned at the others. "Here we go."  
  
"This is gonna be good," Miguel said.  
  
Shesta had moved to another window so that he could continue to see the man moving toward the stairs. "Okay, he's coming downstairs now."  
  
"All right, that should be enough," Dilandau said. As the man descended the stairs, Shesta joined the others by the window.  
  
The man initially headed for the door that Dallet was still ringing its bell, but he stopped when he saw shadows by the kitchen window. The fossil hobbled over to the door that led into the den. He stepped back as he noticed water trickling into the kitchen.  
  
"What in the world…" The man began to push the door open, finding that was an uneasy task. "Come on…"  
  
Outside Shesta, who was the furthest right to the window the others were looking in and closer to the kitchen window, was able to see the old man struggle to push the door open. "He's having problems getting the door open."  
  
"Let me see," Miguel said, moving so that he was in view of the old man. "Ha ha! Just opening the door might tire out the geezer!"  
  
"Hmph," Dilandau said, gazing over Miguel's shoulder. "Baka."  
  
After a minute or two, the old man was able to get the door open and let a great deal of water pour into the kitchen. The man screamed as if being assaulted and a few bugs stuck to his pajama pants as the water moved past him. His slippered feet were totally soaked and he hopped up and down, shrieking about the swamp water. Dilandau and his crew's laughter could be heard through the window, but the man was too busy hollering to really notice. Obviously Dallet had noticed the man's shouts because he joined the rest of the Ryuugekitai as the man began to notice his ruined den.  
  
"Wow, he's pissed," Dallet said with mock surprise.  
  
"My den!!" The man's shout could be clearly heard through the window. He held his head as if in pain and moaned at the wrecked floor and rug. He cringed at the frogs sitting on the furniture and the little creatures swimming in the thin layer of water and was cautious around the little snakes slithering around.  
  
Dilandau's delighted laughter was cut short as Gatty tapped him on the shoulder. "Nan da?"  
  
"The neighbors' lights are turning on."  
  
"Shit, just when things were getting good," Viole said.  
  
Dilandau pulled back his sleeve to reveal his watch and pressed the button for its light. "It's not too early to get ready for the club," he commented. "Iku zo (Let's go)."  
  
The man suddenly noticed the dark figures again and saw that they were retreating. Ignoring the wet feeling he experienced and the most of the creatures in his den, he went over to the window the Ryuugekitai were fleeing from. The old man slid up the glass easily and poked out his head.  
  
"Come back here, you vandals!" he shouted hoarsely.  
  
More lights at other people's houses were turning on, so the seven had no time to turn back and comment on what the man said. This was on of Dilandau's favorite things: running away while leaving someone ruined. The yelling of someone angry, yet helpless, the exhilaration of running in the darkness with his friends, the thrill of getting caught but never getting caught--these all made Dilandau feel alive. Well, there were other things that made him feel alive, but these were what he'd call "cherished" moments. He'd relish the day when he was older and could reveal all the things he got away with, but could never be punished for now. These things among the distant cries of the old man made Dilandau grin like a serpent as he ran.  
  
*****  
  
There weren't enough words in the dictionary to adeptly describe how beautiful Dilandau was. Beautiful? He was gorgeous, stunning, had looks that shamed the gods… God, even the vanity he possessed for his beauty wasn't adequate enough--he needed a shrine to himself, people worshipping his flawless qualities. His name deserved to become a word for perfection in looks. An Adonis? More like a "Dilandau. [1]"  
  
"I love mirrors," Dilandau said, staring at his reflection. He delicately arranged his snow-like bangs at his temple.  
  
Tonight he had decided on his red and black look or "poker chip" look as Gatty had once told him. He doubted he would have let any of the other Ryuugekitai get away without being slapped for saying something like that. However, Dilandau was a bit more lenient on Gatty because they had know each other the longest. In reality it didn't really matter whether or not anyone liked what he wore; Dilandau liked red and whatever he wore looked good on him anyway. He believed this to be true as he adjusted the collar of his black shirt; Dilandau wanted the silver chain around his neck to be uncovered by the red fabric of his jacket.  
  
"Maybe I should be a model," Dilandau said, his eyes never leaving the mirror. He grinned, mostly so he could see how perfectly straight his teeth were, and drew in a breath. "Masaka (Yeah, right)…"  
  
Dilandau commenced to admiring his hands which were softer and better manicured than most of the opposite sex. The examination of his hands drew him to flex his arm's muscles. He laughed thinking it ironic that a man with such beautiful, delicate hands could easily snap someone's neck if he wanted to. And he had wanted to on several occasions.  
  
Gatty, though clearly in the mirror's reflection as he entered the room, knew that unless he spoke, Dilandau would not notice him. He wouldn't call Dilandau self-absorbed--of course not. That wasn't a strong enough word. In Gatty's opinion mirrors were a portal into Dilandau's own universe. Once his jewel-like eyes gazed upon a mirror, the rest of the world disintegrated.  
  
"The rest of us are ready, Dilandau-san," Gatty said, not expecting Dilandau's mirror image to meet eyes with him nor to get a response immediately. However as he finished his words, Gatty was firmly staring back into the eyes of his leader.  
  
"Sou ka na (Is that right)?" Dilandau murmured as if in a trance. Gatty stiffened and Dilandau smiled and turned his glance back upon himself. "I see you're trying to match your car tonight."  
  
Gatty would have retorted with something about his "poker chip" look, but he kept his mouth closed. He halfway regretted his decision because had he upset Dilandau, the narcissist might have lost interest in himself. Gatty simply sighed and waited patiently.  
  
"Gatty, do you realize the reason I'm going to hell has nothing to do with the terrible things I do?" Dilandau said in a voice less mesmerized. Gatty didn't reply, but Dilandau was speaking in rhetoric. "The greatest sin in the world must be to look as incredible as I do."  
  
Gatty held back a smile. It wasn't that he doubted that Dilandau had the looks he claimed; it was just that in some way he believed that Dilandau had meant to be funny. The curve of his lips was no kind of indication whether or not this was true.  
  
"What do you think?" Gatty knew these words Dilandau had spoken were not in rhetoric. It was truly rare when Dilandau asked someone's opinion (outside Dallet concerning girls), but when he did, he'd better like it. It reminded Gatty when Dilandau had asked his opinion of how he'd look with a certain shirt on. For some reason Gatty told him the absolute truth: the shirt didn't suit him at all and frankly made him look odd. Gatty almost cringed at remembering the result of his truth--a swift elbow to Gatty's middle. However, by the time Gatty had been able to stand and breathe normally again, Dilandau had decided the shirt wasn't good enough for him. That was inconsequential; Gatty wasn't going to ever risk an assault like that again.  
  
"I'm sure if I was a girl, I'd be fawning hopelessly over you," Gatty said with a hint of jest. He couldn't help it; it was an odd conversation to begin with.  
  
"Hmph." Gatty was relieved to see Dilandau's smirk; no attack would come his way. "You don't need to be a girl to admire my beauty; I'm good- looking enough to attract both sexes."  
  
Gatty smiled just slightly, imagining himself asking Dilandau if he was insinuating he was bisexual. If all was well between him and Dilandau, he wouldn't have feared too much repercussion and asked, but this wasn't so. Dilandau, keen on most of the Ryuugekitai, figured what the blonde was thinking.  
  
"Do you think anyone would believe I was bi?" he asked. Dilandau met eyes with Gatty and laughed shortly at his uncomfortable expression. "Shinpai shinai de (Don't worry), I won't hit you for your answer. Shikashi, if you don't answer I can't guarantee that…"  
  
Gatty wondered if Dilandau took the time to carefully plan to put others in tense situations or if he happened to just create them. "Not if they sawyou at the clubs," he finally said. Dilandau's laugh in response assured him that he had answered well.  
  
Dilandau turned away from the mirror. "Not a bad answer at all," he said. "I thinkI'll take that as a compliment."  
  
Gatty let out a mental sigh. "Are you ready now?" he asked.  
  
"Sure," Dilandau said as he walked toward the door. "I think I've made you squirm enough."  
  
Gatty raised a brow as he followed Dilandau down the stairs. It was odd that Dilandau would admit he was doing something as he said. Usually it was obvious what he was doing, but he'd never openly admit it. The others were waiting in Gatty's den, Viole and Dallet watching the television. Miguel was outstretched on the couch as if he'd fall asleep any moment, while Guimel leaned against the back of the couch. One foot in the den was enough for Dilandau to realize who was missing.  
  
"Shesta wa doko (Where's Shesta)?" Dilandau's hand rested on his hip, a sigh that he meant "this better be good."  
  
"He went to--" Viole began.  
  
"He had to change," Miguel interjected. He now sat straight on the couch, ignoring the resent on Viole's face.  
  
Dilandau's brows lowered. "Naze?" he asked.  
  
Most of the Ryuugekitai gave a shrug, but none gave a verbal reply. Gatty saw Dilandau's fingers curl into a fist which made him feel the need to handle the problem. Gatty had known Shesta as long as Dilandau had, so he had an idea of what happened.  
  
"Let me guess: you guys dissed his clothes, so he decided to change," Gatty said. The hidden smirks of his friends suggested it was true.  
  
All the Ryuugekitai had some clothes at Gatty's; Dilandau, aware that Gatty's father wouldn't dare interfere with them now, had decided that Gatty's house was the best location for "dressing up." Had Shesta needed to return home to change clothes, Dilandau might have gotten angry about it. Since that wasn't the case, Dilandau was mildly amused, indicated by the relocation of his hand from his hip to his chin.  
  
"Naru hodo (I see)," Dilandau said. He smiled and nodded. "Fine. We'll give him five minutes."  
  
"We don't need to wait, I'm ready now," Shesta said, walking into the den. The Ryuugekitai stared at him as if he were a stranger that suddenly approached them, but Shesta either pretended he didn't notice or was ignorant of their reaction. "I know how you hate to be kept waiting, Dilandau-san."  
  
The silent stare upon Shesta continued even when the blonde finally was urged to ask what the problem was. All of them knew that Shesta wasn't a punk, even if he dressed like one [2]. The joke was that Shesta always looked like he was going to church when they went out. He never wore any chains, had no piercing (most of the Ryuugekitai did somewhere), and his look was almost always neat. At school Shesta would dress less formally (or dorkily), but when they went clubbing, he never put on anything that made him seem like he was part of the Ryuugekitai. The innocence that was suggested on his face didn't help his image either.  
  
Although every aspect of Shesta's new attire was equally shocking (the silver chain outlining his neck, the tight pleather pant, the silver cuff on his ear), his shirt, which revealed more of Shesta's chest than they had seen save an outing to the beach, was the most noteworthy. It was a short-sleeved (more like half of a regular sleeve) black mesh shirt [3]. It wasn't surprising that Shesta was built (all Ryuugekitai worked out), but it was surprising he never liked to show off what he had.  
  
Dilandau's mouth, previously slightly open, began to twitch as he tried not to smile. He failed in this and gradually began to laugh. The others joined in shortly and Shesta stood with little indication he was embarrassed. While the Ryuugekitai poked fun at him, Dilandau approached Shesta and put his arm around his shoulders. With his leader doing that and mimicking a cat with his grin, Shesta had to frown to avoid showing blatant signs of humility.  
  
"Shesta, that's one of the reasons I like you," Dilandau said. He paused to laugh again and shake his head. "Your outfit is the direct opposite of your 'angelic' façade."  
  
Shesta slowly smiled, only because Dilandau had said it to point out the irony of it all. Had one of the others said such a thing, he would have taken offense. Shesta knew they thought it was funny he had difficulties looking menacing.  
  
"My advice is never wrong," Dilandau said below the noise of the other Ryuugekitai. Shesta nodded in agreement; Dilandau had told him if he tried dressing differently just once, the others might back off the next time.  
  
"Oi, Dallet," Viole said, nudging him with his elbow, "Shesta might distract all the girls away from you tonight." All but Dallet laughed at that comment.  
  
"Yeah, right," Dallet muttered under all the laughter.  
  
"Mou ii (Enough)," Dilandau said, "let's get going."  
  
As the Ryuugekitai left the house and went to get into the two cars, Dilandau grabbed Gatty by his arm. Gatty turned to look at him with careful wonder.  
  
"Nani?" Gatty asked.  
  
"Give Dallet your keys," Dilandau instructed.  
  
"Ee? I'm not riding with you?" Dallet said. Usually he, Shesta, and Miguel rode with Dilandau in his car. The rest rode with Gatty.  
  
Gatty wanted to know the reason as well, but followed Dilandau's orders regardless. "Gatty, you're driving my car," Dilandau said, ignoring Dallet.  
  
"So, that means…" Guimel said, arching a brow.  
  
"They're the designated drivers, desshou?" Miguel said.  
  
"Sou desu," Dilandau said, heading to his car. "Enough talk--let's get going."  
  
"Gatty gave Dallet a look of "see what I mean," but hesitated no further to do as Dilandau had said. Dallet, however, was the last to get into a car. He balled up the keys in his hand.  
  
*Shit!* he thought. *Dilandau usually makes Shesta and Guimel the ones who can't drink! Maybe Gatty was right, as much as I hate to admit it…*  
  
Dallet didn't know which he hated more: the fact that he was one of the designated drivers or Guimel and Viole laughing at him from the back seat. Two minutes of their jeering while he drove after Dilandau's car and he decided on the latter. Giving his friends the finger in response only resulted in further ridicule.  
  
*****  
  
Club Zaibach or the "Z" was one of the hottest spots in the city, unless you didn't know about it. The underground establishment was highly clandestine and even if you discovered it, there was no guarantee you'd be let in. Of course, you might be let in if you had it like Dilandau had it. From time to time the Ryuugekitai had even worked at the Z, so they were all pretty well known there.  
  
An alley between two abandoned houses in downtown Zaibach was the location of the initial entrance to the club. However, if one wasn't knowledgeable of the place, one would have never guessed the entrance was there. Dilandau, at the head of their group, casually walked down the dim, dirty alley as if it were the most ordinary thing to do. A man on a dingy blanket sat at the end of the alley, the butt of his cigarette the only illumination in that area. He looked up slowly from the rags that were surrounding him as Dilandau's shadow covered him. Dilandau grinned and the man took another drag from his cigarette before speaking.  
  
"You must be Dilandau and the other Ryuugekitai," the "bum" said.  
  
"You must be new if you don't already know," Dilandau returned. "Never seen you before--where's Smalls?"  
  
"He got promoted."  
  
"Hmph, sou ka." Dilandau ran a hand through his hair. "Have I been away from the Z that long?"  
  
"It's probably that trip we took to Atlantis a week ago," Shesta said. As he spoke the "bum" rose and pulled back the blanket he had sat upon. "I think that's the last time we were here."  
  
"We used to come every other day," Miguel commented.  
  
The man began to lift up the door he had concealed and then stood back to allow Dilandau and the others to pass. The narrow doorway forced the Ryuugekitai to descend single-file. Like always, the other six boys waited for Dilandau to go first before going down themselves. The man above shut the door back after Dallet had been the last of them to enter. Lights lined the railing of the stairs and as they neared the "basement," the roar of the music flooding from Club Z could be heard. Now at the underground floor area, the line waiting to enter the doors underneath the neon-lighted "Club Zaibach" could be seen. The prominent, ill-mannered bouncer stood at the great doors, frowning at the mass of people trying to enter.  
  
"They lettin' anyone in tonight?" Viole said, looking at the length of the line. He smirked. "I almost feel sorry for them."  
  
Dilandau laughed with the others in agreement. "It reminds me when I handled the lines," he said. The group began to move past the lines, outside the velvet rope, to the entrance of the club. Several people recognized them as they went, most trying to convince the Ryuugekitai to take them in with them.  
  
The bald, bulky bouncer hadn't noticed Dilandau and his crew yet, trying to get a girl in front of him to realize she wasn't getting in. Seeing this reminded Dilandau of only admitting people who could solve his riddle (a riddle with no answer). He had really enjoyed that job at the Z; it was like playing God.  
  
"Who you supposed to be--Mr. T?" Dilandau said, distracting the bouncer's attention from the girl.  
  
"Who da--" The bouncer stopped as he met eyes with Dilandau. "Albatou! When they let you out, man?" He exchanged dap with the younger man.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Dilandau said, loving the sound of his "last name." When he had made his fake ID some years back, he had chosen "Albatou" as his false identity. Personally, he thought it was a million times better than "Schezar" could ever be. Dilandau enjoyed his last name so much, most of the "underground" people knew him as Dilandau Albatou. "You couldn't have been out of jail more than a week."  
  
The bouncer laughed and pulled the velvet rope out of the way so Dilandau could proceed. "Shit, you know I ain't ever got caught by no popo [4]," he said. He slapped Shesta on the shoulder as he passed and whistled at the boy. "Damn, boy, you run out [5] tonight!"  
  
The others snickered at Shesta while they moved past Club Z's doors. The place was large enough to be a hotel or some sort, containing three levels. The ground level contained the dancing area, bar, and lounge while the two levels above were "special" rooms. The middle level, level two, was reserved for those who needed to escape to private rooms for "various" activities, and the highest level, level three, was where one could find a room that was specified for one of the many popular drugs, available for Z guests to use (for most at a great fee). The saying went at Club Z; "you wanna get high, you better go up high. [6]" The person who coined this phrase was unknown, but any Z regular knew of this phrase.  
  
The spectrum of lights that flashed over the majority of the club was like spotlights for the Ryuugekitai. Most places they were the unknown vandals of Zaibach, but at Club Z they were like celebrities. Several people (half they knew) came up to them as they went, wondering where the seven had been. Shesta again was commented on his apparel, but it was mostly positive (a few girls told Shesta they'd be on level two in a hour if he was interested). Dilandau could only briefly amuse himself with that; he was distracted by the people trying to talk to him. Gradually, he was able to diminish the number.  
  
"Yo, D!" Dilandau had just finished talking to a female acquaintance of his when he spotted another acquaintance--this time someone he knew from school.  
  
"Maurice," Dilandau said, giving him the special handshake they had developed. "I don't think I've seen you in a month."  
  
The boy rubbed his low cut hair. "Man, some fuckers been sweatin' me, yo," he explained. He smiled as heard Dilandau's laughter. "So, what's up with you, D? You and yo crew still at large?"  
  
"No doubt," Dilandau said, outlining his chain with his finger.  
  
"Yo, you gonna roll with us next Friday?"  
  
"Friday?" Dilandau raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Pete--you know, from Freid--he got a shitload of that 'stuff.' We gonna light up Friday, dog!"  
  
Dilandau smirked. "Naru hodo," he said. He gestured to Shesta to pull his attention away from some people. "Shesta, how's next Friday for us?"  
  
"Hmm…" Shesta said, pulling out a digital planner amazingly from his tight pants. Dilandau was a bit surprised he was carrying that with him.  
  
Shesta quickly pulled up their calendar and checked it out. "We have those park 'incidents' planned for that day and night," he said, quickly replacing the electronic planner in his pocket.  
  
"Oh, yeah…" He snickered impishly.  
  
"Damn, D, you got a schedule and everything!" Maurice said. Dilandau shrugged and Maurice shook his head. "All right, I'll check you later, D-- Peace!"  
  
Dilandau grinned after he left and then looked at the rest of the Ryuugekitai still in close proximity. "We'll leave around four or five," he said. "Is that okay with everyone?"  
  
Dilandau smiled to himself as they gave the usual response, wondering what he'd exactly do if any of them were foolish enough to give him a negative answer. He imagined saying "oh, really" with mock interest and then punching him in the face. Dilandau would ask him again, and he'd guarantee the Ryuu would never answer him like that again. What, did they actually think they had a say when they left? Not unless it was an emergency, of course…  
  
"All right then," Dilandau said, targeting his two "favorites" again. "It's understood that you two, Gatty and Dallet, are not to drink, right?"  
  
"Hai, Dilandau-san," the two said. They glanced at each other as if a fight would soon ensue between them.  
  
"Ii yo." Dilandau chuckled at their animosity and placed a hand on Shesta's shoulder. "Come with me to the bar."  
  
"Uh, hai…" Shesta said, following his red-clad leader.  
  
Viole, Miguel, and Guimel laughed at the two before they separated themselves. Gatty stared back at Dallet, wondering if he should fight the long-haired boy. Yes, he wanted to--badly--but he wasn't sure if that wasn't all part of Dilandau's plan. Maybe that was one of the reasons they hadn't been slapped; if Dilandau could make them want to fight each other, they'd get their lickings then. Gatty figured he could take Dallet on easily, even though the Ryuugekitai rarely fought each other (despite their constant bickering). This was mainly because of their constant gang business, but Viole and Miguel had had a serious fight once. Viole won, but Miguel could have done the same, had he been as pissed as Viole had been.  
  
"Hmph," Gatty said. He faced the direction of the lounge and began walking toward there.  
  
"Oi!" Dallet caught up with him and grabbed him by the shoulder. He met Gatty with the same austere gaze they had been giving each other from before. "No 'I told you so' or 'this is all your fault, Dallet?'"  
  
"I think that goes without saying," Gatty growled. He shook Dallet's hand away.  
  
"What the hell's your problem?" Dallet demanded. "We outta be grateful."  
  
"Grateful?" Gatty balled up a fist, finding that the more his fellow Ryuugekitai talked, the more Gatty began to reconsider fighting him.  
  
"For whatever reason Dilandau-san has gone easy on us," Dallet said, smirking as he spoke. "We could have been slapped or worse or even yelled at, but we weren't. Sure, we had to specifically go to the swamp, and we're the designated drivers…which pisses me off…but I guess Dilandau-san wasn't as angry as you imagined. We're off the hook now and it isn't that bad, so why don't you chill out? He's not going to do any more to us."  
  
Gatty's hand relaxed at his side but he didn't give Dallet a response. Rather, he turned to leave as he had previously intended. Dallet's smirk remained, sensing Gatty agreed with him to some degree.  
  
"Jaa, dou suru (Well, what are you going to do)?" Dallet called after him.  
  
Gatty stopped but didn't face Dallet again. "I had planned to have a couple of drinks and relax," he said not caring if Dallet could hear him over the music from the distance they were apart, "but obviously I can't do that. So, I'm going over to a table and have a few smokes instead before I end up exchanging punches with you." Having said that he walked on, having no need to check to see if he were heard.  
  
Dallet managed to pick up enough of what Gatty had said to receive an answer to his question. "He's so boring," he said. "I'll never understand how he and Dilandau are such good friends."  
  
--To be continued...  
  
  
  
--Some footnotes:  
  
[1] -Uh, yeah, maybe that little paragraph with Dilandau's narcissism was a little too much, but I wrote it mostly because I thought it was funny (and I think that Dilandau looks really good ^_^).  
  
[2] -The word "punk" here means a wimp or (as my friend said when I asked her what she thought it meant) a gay guy (I don't think it's used for girls). Anyway, this is just slang I hear around so I added it just so this fic sounds more contemporary.  
  
[3]-I made Shesta wear this because I had watched the second half of Weiss Kreuz (if any of you are familiar with that anime) and noticed that the sweetest looking person in that organization, Omi, was wearing this weird see-through shirt! It looked cool, but it didn't really go along with his personality (well the one outside killing people), so later on I decided I do the same thing to Shesta. I had to do something to counter how nice Shesta appears to look. ^_^  
  
[4]-The "popo" are the police, just in case no one knew that or could guess that.  
  
[5]-The phrase "run out," if you didn't know or can't guess that, means to do something bold, outrageous, or surprising.  
  
[6]-Uh…maybe I was high when I wrote that part. J/K. I don't know anything about drugs, as you can tell from this fic…  
  
--Next, Part Two of Dilandau in the Night: Dilandau makes sure that Dallet never gets up to level two (because Dilandau is hardly satisfied with his payback) and uses all the Ryuugekitai, except Gatty, to do this. But what does he do to Gatty? Shesta shows he has a low tolerance for alcohol, Miguel reveals how wily he can be, and Viole and Guimel stir up trouble for no good reason. And let's not forget that Allen has some things to say to his little brother… Please continue reading if it doesn't suck already. 


	3. Dilandau in the Night, Part Two

*Author's Notes: I had a friend (Ann no Aku, who is also posted on fanfiction.net) read some of my second chapter and she commented that Dilandau was too mean, and she was shocked that the others went against Dallet like they did… Hope no one else feels that way because frankly, I think if Dilandau tells you to do something, you do it. I mean, it's not like they did anything that terrible to him, and you'll see later on that they're worse to other people. Anyhow, Smalls (remember when Dilandau asked where he was) pops up again. Why do I have all these weird people named (like Maurice) and others not named? Most likely because those named will pop up again. Anyway, please enjoy (language gets worse in this part)!  
  
  
  
Chapter Two: Dilandau in the Night, Part Two  
  
  
  
"So, Albatou," the bartender said, setting a bottle of liquor in front of Dilandau, "you gonna pay your tab this time?"  
  
Dilandau shrugged. "Might as well," he said. He pulled out a credit card and laid it next to the bottle. "Courtesy of Allen Schezar."  
  
The man took the card and went to process it while Shesta glanced at the bottle of copper liquid. "Couldn't you just as easily get Allen to give you your own credit card?" Shesta asked.  
  
"Why get one when Allen's are so accessible?" Dilandau said. He took back the card when as the tender handed it to him again. "We're 'family,' so it's no problem."  
  
"Start up another tab for the Ryuugekitai?" the tender asked.  
  
"Aa." Dilandau grinned at Shesta who displayed less enjoyment. "Saa, let's get you in a better mood."  
  
"Me?" Shesta blinked, wondering if he looked as grim as Gatty had.  
  
"Sou," Dilandau said, opening the bottle. "Oi, can we get two shot glasses?"  
  
"Uh, I… I don't think I want--" Shesta said as a glass was set in front of him.  
  
"What's wrong with you, Shesta?" Dilandau interrupted. "You usually volunteer to be the designated driver and when you don't, you barely drink."  
  
"I don't like it as much as the rest of you do…" Shesta confessed.  
  
"Bakana (That's stupid)," Dilandau said. He poured some of the unknown liquid into Shesta's glass. "We'll play a game."  
  
"I don't know…" Shesta said, waving his hand.  
  
"Shesta, if you attempt to tell me no," Dilandau said, chuckling as he poured himself some of the drink, "well, I think you can figure out the rest."  
  
Shesta swallowed. "What kind of game?" he asked.  
  
"Very simple," Dilandau said. "We keep doubling the number of shots that the other takes until one gives up."  
  
"This is silly," Shesta said, wringing the chain around his neck in one hand, "we both know that you're gonna be the one--"  
  
Dilandau's hand sweeping across his face ended his protest there. Shesta held his stinging face, but noticed it wasn't as hard as it usually would have been. A regular slap from Dilandau would have easily knocked you out of your seat, and Dilandau rarely would be smiling after the action. Shesta stared at him as if he were growing a second head (scary only because that would be like two Dilandaus).  
  
"You were saying?" Dilandau asked politely with the obvious deadly undertone.  
  
"Who'll go first?" Shesta didn't dare try his luck again. Just because he received a mild slap the first time was no guarantee that he'd be slapped in the same manner if he annoyed Dilandau again.  
  
"I'll be nice," Dilandau said, laughing at the thought of him being so. "You can go first."  
  
Shesta sighed and picked up his glass. Dilandau, knowing him well, expected the blonde to actually sip his shot. "Drink it all at once," he ordered. "We don't want to be here all night, now do we?"  
  
*Dilandau would never forget to predict your actions,* Shesta thought before gulping down whatever it was they were drinking. He'd ask Dilandau, but he predicted the pale-haired boy would merely chuckle at his question.  
  
"Ii yo," Dilandau said, grinning in approval.  
  
Shesta had to admire the way Dilandau took his two shots as if they were nothing. He had always though Dilandau was an amazing drinker; Shesta could count the number of times he had seen Dilandau drunk on one hand. The leader of the Ryuugekitai could hold a lot of liquor. Regardless, Shesta knew it couldn't be all that good for him, but Dilandau showed little side effects. This was also true with several of the drugs he used. Most people would act totally off the wall, but not Dilandau. Only his regular temper flares would make him act like that.  
  
"That's the way to do it," Dilandau said. He slid the bottle over to Shesta. "Your turn."  
  
"H-hai," Shesta said. He repressed a sigh and poured himself another shot. The first two he took then already made him feel strange so he tried his best to counteract it. "Ne, Dilandau-san."  
  
"Hmm?" Dilandau coughed away a laugh; Shesta was shaking his head after completing the four shots as if he were already effected. With Shesta in that state, Dilandau was generally interested in what he had to say.  
  
"Are you through getting back Gatty and Dallet?"  
  
Dilandau snickered and poured himself another shot. "Yes and no," he said. Shesta expected him to elaborate, but Dilandau simply took his eight shots in a relatively speedy manner.  
  
"Yes and no?" Shesta repeated.  
  
"I know Gatty wasn't to blame for that brief slacking off," Dilandau said, grinning off into space. "Shikashi, I like to see him on his toes, always expecting me to strike."  
  
"But you won't."  
  
"I guess not." Dilandau shrugged.  
  
"And Dallet?"  
  
Dilandau put a hand on Shesta's back, "Have you noticed Dallet has a steady pattern every time we come to the Z?"  
  
"Uh, no…" Shesta wouldn't even attempt to recall; he was having trouble remembering how to count.  
  
"Sixteen," Dilandau said, giving Shesta an eerie feeling. Dilandau simply snorted and waited for Shesta to start pouring before continuing. "Dallet is usually the first of us to go up to level two."  
  
Shesta held his head. *Damn, sixteen?* he thought after taking two. "Sou…ka?"  
  
"Uhn. Tonight's going to be different for him."  
  
Shesta took two more. "How…how so?"  
  
"I'm gong to make sure he never sets foot on that floor. And you're going to help me."  
  
"H…hai…" Shesta said. His head sunk down on the bar counter. *Mou ii…* he thought.  
  
*****  
  
Gatty released a trail of smoke from his mouth, taking partial care not to blow directly in the girl's face across from him. The way her dark eyebrows lowered suggested she would have been offended if he had. Then again, she was already offended.  
  
"I thought you said you'd call me," the girl said.  
  
"I've been busy," Gatty said. He rested his cigarette on a glass tray. "What do you expect, Mimi?"  
  
"I expect you to at least give me your cell number then," Mimi said, pushing a strand of her chocolate hair behind her ear.  
  
"Can't do that." Gatty lightly smiled. Seeing girls pout was as fun as Dilandau had boasted. "Dilandau [1] says that we have to keep that phone free for Ryuugekitai business."  
  
Mimi grasped his arm. "You guys are so elusive," she complained. "Don't you ever take the time to relax?"  
  
"What do you call this?"  
  
Mimi's eyes brightened. "All right, then let's dance."  
  
"Uh…no…" From his seat he had a clear view of Dilandau enticing Shesta to drink shots with him. If he went on the dance floor, he could easily have Dilandau striking unexpectedly upon him.  
  
"Aw, come on!" Mimi begged. "This is one of my favorite songs!"  
  
"Iie." Gatty picked up his cigarette again and took a long drag from it. As he exhaled, Mimi's face scrunched up in disapproval.  
  
"I thought you said you were trying to quit," she said.  
  
Gatty repeated the same action before speaking. "I say a lot of things, don't I?" he said. He grinned when Mimi frowned and rose from her seat.  
  
"Saite (You're the worst)!" Mimi said, heading for the dance floor.  
  
*Oh, well,* Gatty thought, proceeding with more smoking. *It's not as if I need to worry about her being angry at me. She wouldn't hesitate a second to go to level two with me…*  
  
*****  
  
"So what do you think, Guimel?" Viole said, pointing to at medium- sized guy dancing with a girl on the dance floor. "You think I can take him?"  
  
"If not, you're going to get your ass kicked," Guimel said.  
  
"Like you that one time--"  
  
"I thought I asked you not to bring that up again."  
  
"All right, all right," Viole said, snickering. "We'll do the usual-- you distract the guy, and I'll cut in."  
  
"If he has a crew, you want me to help you?" Guimel said.  
  
Viole sucked his teeth. "Shit, that punk?" he said. "I'll be surprised if he'll give me a good enough fight."  
  
"We'll see," Guimel said, standing up. Viole did that same.  
  
Even when the Ryuugekitai was taking a break, the members still intentionally caused trouble. In fact, it was rare when trouble arose around them that wasn't on purpose. Viole and Guimel, especially did little things like this just to see like they had a valid reason for kicking someone's ass.  
  
*Hmm… guess I'll go with the "drop" act,* Guimel thought as he walked up to their target. "Oi!"  
  
The boy stopped dancing with the girl and faced Guimel. "What do you want?"  
  
"Did you drop these keys?" Guimel said, holding up some keys from his pocket.  
  
The boy blinked and began fishing in his pocket for his keys. Meanwhile, Viole slyly pulled the boy's dancing with her. At first the girl was surprised, but then she smiled as if she didn't care or recognized Viole as one of the Ryuugekitai.  
  
"Nah, they ain't mine," the boy said, finally locating his keys.  
  
"Oh, sorry," Guimel said, shrugging. He laughed not only from the deception, but from the boy's stupidity as well. Who couldn't distinguish their own keys from another?  
  
"What's so funny?" the boy demanded.  
  
"That your girl?" Guimel asked, pointing behind the guy.  
  
"Huh?" The boy turned around and instantly spotted his girl dancing in a lewd manner with Viole. "Oi!!"  
  
"Here we go…" Guimel said, eagerly watching the boy approach Viole.  
  
"This is my girl!" The boy pushed Viole back from the girl and stood between her and Viole. "What do you think you're doing, bitch??"  
  
Viole smiled and put a hand in his pocket. "Bitch?" he repeated, expecting such an insult. "Who the hell are you talking to?"  
  
"You, motherfucka!" He pushed Viole again who remained calm.  
  
"Hmph," Viole said, smoothing his shirt. Back when he wasn't part of the Ryuugekitai he would have already cut on the fool, but now that he was one of Dilandau's crew, he felt like he had unlimited power--that which he didn't choose to waste freely upon undeserving souls. Still he enjoyed flaunting it.  
  
"What you think you're better than me?" the boy asked. Viole merely smirked, invoking the boy further. "Onore!"  
  
The boy swung at Viole and he almost laughed at how easily he swayed out of the way. It was as if he knew exactly when he was going to strike; well, Viole was pretty sure after his cocky attitude that the guy would try to hit him. Viole would have, anyway, if he were in his place back when he was just a lone thug.  
  
"Heh," Viole said. A few dancers had noticed and had stopped dancing to watch the fight.  
  
The boy clenched his teeth and tried his luck again. He failed at hitting Viole, but succeeded in producing Viole's laughter.  
  
"What are you trying to do?" Viole said, now beside the guy. He looked as if he was going to try to hit Viole again, but Viole skillfully slammed his fist against the boy's jaw before he had the chance. "Something like that?"  
  
They boy stumbled back into a couple who were dancing, and Viole put a hand in his pocket. He looked behind him at Guimel who was watching the whole thing. They shared grins before the boy righted himself again. Viole looked forward once he heard the boy make a loud, aggravated sound and charge at him once again. Viole laughed as he easily caught the boy's fists. Viole narrowed his eyes as the boy tried to free himself from Viole's grip.  
  
"Next time you call someone a 'bitch'--" Viole pulled the guy forward and brought his kneecap into the boy's abdomen. "--or a 'motherfucka'--"  
  
The boy doubled over, coughing up spit, while people cheered. "-- learn how to fight!" Viole finished, bringing his fist forcefully up to the boy's chin. The boy fell down on his back and ceased movement.  
  
Applause pervaded much of the commotion concerning the fight; however, a few people expressed pity for the guy on the floor. Viole tugged on one of the wavy strands of hair in front of his ears. "That wasn't even slightly satisfying…" he muttered.  
  
Guimel walked over to him and grinned. "I guess we gave him too much credit," he said.  
  
Viole would have responded, but he was stopped by the girl the whole fight had started over. She seemed impressed by Viole instead of worried about her former dance partner's condition. It was all well and good as Club Z workers moved him out of the way so people could dance.  
  
"That was awesome!" the girl gushed. "You're a great fighter!"  
  
Viole rolled his eyes and stopped playing with his hair. "Mochiron (Of course)," he said, eyes anywhere but on her. "I am part of the Ryuugekitai, after all."  
  
The girl grinned and stepped up closer to him. "Well, in that case, wanna get a room with me on level two?"  
  
Viole snorted as if she were just some random girl. In truth she were; he had already forgotten she were the girl he had been dancing with a little while ago, her only purpose being to make her boyfriend jealous.  
  
"No thanks," Viole said without much thought.  
  
"Hell, if he won't I will," Guimel quickly said. The girl smiled as if she'd consent to that, but Viole grabbed Guimel's arm and began dragging him away. "Iku zo, bakayarou," he said.  
  
"Heh," Guimel said, once they were away from the dance floor. "What's up with that?"  
  
"Please," Viole said, releasing his arm, "that would be too easy. Just like when I beat up her boyfriend…"  
  
"Hmph." Guimel shrugged and grinned at Viole's back as he followed him. "You've always liked it the hard way…"  
  
*****  
  
Shesta had made little progress in his sixteen shots. He really wasn't a drinker and had only managed eleven out of the sixteen. Nausea consumed him, and yet Dilandau still beckoned him further. If he had been a better drinker and a fool, he'd tell Dilandau off for that.  
  
"Come on, Shesta, you've barely drank anything," Dilandau said. He shook the nearly empty bottle. "All you need is five more."  
  
*Dilandau's insane,* Shesta thought, all his will power being used to keep his head up and his liquor down. *I've already drank sixteen shots all together.* "I…I can't… do… any… more…"  
  
"Sumimasen--I can't do any more," Shesta said. "I feel like I'm going to hurl…" He put a hand over his mouth and said another muffled excuse as he ran from the bar to the bathroom.  
  
"Ah, ah," Dilandau said, pouring himself another shot. "I knew that would happen." He downed the shot and laughed. "Oh, well, we'll just have to work harder to make him a better drinker…"  
  
Dilandau's eyes rolled on Dallet, standing near the dance floor as he spoke to two girls. *Ah, nani kore (what's this)?* he mused to himself. *Thinking of heading up to level two, Dallet?*  
  
Dilandau smiled cruelly and changed his gaze to Miguel. His activities were more interesting; he was headed by three other males at his table, making several hand movements. Dilandau, by these clues, knew exactly what he was doing.  
  
*Up to your old tricks, eh, Miguel?* Dilandau thought. He stood and went over to his brunette friend.  
  
"…should be about a thousand," Miguel said, his back to his approaching leader. "That should be enough, right?"  
  
One of the guys rubbed his chin. "Ida know…" he said. "Maybe we outta do a bit more."  
  
"Listen, I got six five thousand ones already set and twelve one thousand ones in the process," Miguel said. "I know exactly what I'm doing- -"  
  
"Mochiron," Dilandau came in, "you are the Ryuu most qualified for this job." He liked seeing Miguel alarmed almost as much as he did Gatty.  
  
"Uh, we'll finish this later…" Miguel said, trying to erase any unease in his voice. "If I don't see you later, you know the number."  
  
The three seated consented and made brief greetings to Dilandau as he left. Dilandau sat there laughing quietly to himself and wondering if they'd have as much business if he himself had handled it. Though the guys who had left were older than Dilandau, they still expressed fear of him. That didn't bother Dilandau one bit, however.  
  
"Labariel-san," Dilandau said, getting exactly the rise out of Miguel he expected by addressing him so, "you're not planning to abuse this duty I've assigned to you, am I right? Not planning to start operating on your own?"  
  
The old name Dilandau had used for him when he wasn't part of the Ryuugekitai and the insinuation he was planning to double-cross his leader made him nervous like he hadn't been in years. "Ma-masaka, Dilandau-san," Miguel stammered. "I-I'm just--"  
  
Dilandau stopped him with his derisive laughter. "Joudan, joudan (a joke, a joke)," he said.  
  
Miguel let out a breath and nodded. *Damnit,* he thought. *I hate when he does that! He could have just as easily been serious!*  
  
"Just a little warm up for Dallet," Dilandau said, putting his hand on Miguel's shoulder.  
  
"So, you're not finished with him yet?" Miguel asked. He wiped his brow and completely dropped his anxiety level. The mention of Dallet meant no harm for him.  
  
"Exactly," Dilandau said. "You're going to help me keep him off level two. I was going to use Shesta, but… well, he's no use to me at the moment."  
  
Miguel grinned, realizing that Dilandau hadn't went to Gatty, his usual choice, meaning Gatty was still in hot water as well. "And Gatty?"  
  
"He's fine," Dilandau said. His eyes traveled on the one he spoke of.  
  
Miguel frowned while his leader's eyes were distracted. *What's up with that?* he wondered. *How come he's letting Gatty off the hook??*  
  
"Doushita?" Miguel jumped; Dilandau had said that before he returned his gaze on him.  
  
"Na…nanimo nai," Miguel said, hoping his gaze into Dilandau's eyes suggested his statement were true.  
  
"Sou." If Dilandau didn't believe him his must not have cared. "When I think of it, this plan works better with you."  
  
"What do I have to do?" Miguel's smile gradually came back.  
  
"You'll tell Dallet that I want to speak with him," Dilandau said. "He won't question that and if he does ask him if he wants to risk making me wait. Now, Dallet has two girls with him…"  
  
Miguel turned back so he could see Dallet and the two girls. "…you're to scare or repulse them away without Dallet seeing you, of course."  
  
"So once he's gone and 'speaking' with you, I chase away the girls." He faced Dilandau again.  
  
"Sou." Dilandau retracted his hand from his shoulder. "That shouldn't be too difficult for you, desshou?"  
  
"Iie." Miguel grinned while Dilandau began to outline his jaw with his finger. When his leader did that, it was a tale tell sign he was up to no good or perhaps plotting more.  
  
"Yoshi," Dilandau said, resting his moving finger at the tip of his chin. "I want Dallet in the dark when the girls refuse him, so I'm going to another table, so it seems like I wasn't conspiring against him."  
  
"Hai." Miguel already had an idea to get rid of the girls. He watched Dilandau move over to another table of people he must have known because they all greeted him when he stepped up. Miguel stood up and rubbed his hands together.  
  
"More fun…" he commented.  
  
*****  
  
"Hontou?" the blonde said, smiling as if offered free money.  
  
"Mochiron," Dallet said. "Dilandau asks me all the time if I've been with any good girls. He values my opinion greatly." Hearing the sounds of approval from the two girls, Dallet remembered how much he enjoyed being part of the Ryuugekitai. Not that he needed much help attracting the other sex, but throwing around Dilandau's name was better than flashing around bills. And, as a bonus, Dallet could pursue more women as part of the Ryuugekitai; he didn't have to be cautious about messing around with girls who were already spoken for.  
  
"So do you ever exclusively date girls? the auburn-haired girl asked.  
  
"Rarely," Dallet said. He grinned; he was used to this question and knew how to raise a girl's hopes. "I hope to have a girl who can keep me…entertained for a long time."  
  
The blonde grinned and linked her arm with Dallet's. "I'm sure we can keep you entertained," she said.  
  
"Sou desu ne." The auburn joined the blonde on Dallet's other arm.  
  
Dallet was sure he was going to have the kind of night he intended (minus the drinking) until he saw Miguel. He didn't know why, but he felt his appearance was a bad sign. Dallet stopped in his tracks (which hadn't been many) and glared at Miguel.  
  
"What do you want?" Dallet said, temporarily ignoring the girls on his arms.  
  
"I just needed to tell you that Dilandau-san wants to see you," Miguel said. His eyes flashed with something; wickedness, Dallet believed.  
  
"Na…naze?" Dallet said, stuck between apprehension and suspicious anger.  
  
Miguel shrugged. "He didn't say." He smirked at Dallet, staring at him right in the eyes as if there was no one else in the world. "Nan da? You think I'm lying?"  
  
The girls looked between the two, wondering why they looked as if they may fight. This held their interest, so it surprised them when Dallet released himself from their grip. It took a great deal of skill for Dallet to turn his glower back into a grin.  
  
"I'll be right back," Dallet said, facing the girls. "Don't go anywhere."  
  
"We'll be waiting," the blonde said. Her friend nodded in agreement.  
  
Miguel pretending to also leave the same way he had came, but lingered by the two girls when he noticed that Dallet wasn't looking behind himself. He stepped up to the two and smiled nicely, receiving the same expression in return.  
  
"You girls must be really proud," Miguel said, putting his hands behind his back.  
  
"Mochiron," the darker-haired one said. "We've heard all about Dallet-sama's [2] around here."  
  
"Ah, then you've just heard the rumors, not the truth," Miguel said. As they questioned him about what he meant, he began to move slowly around as if he were about to leave. "I thought you girls knew."  
  
"Knew what?" The auburn one began to get annoyed.  
  
"Well…" Miguel said, stopping so that he was facing the direction of Dilandau and Dallet, not the girls. "You know how all the Ryuugekitai have their own rooms on level two?"  
  
"Yeah?" the girls said together.  
  
"Well, Dallet has cameras in his room," Miguel said. "He videotapes what goes on in there, makes copies, and sells it. You know, like to porn stores.  
  
"What?" the blonde said. She seemed a bit wary of that. "I didn't know the Ryuugekitai was in to that kind of business…"  
  
Miguel shrugged. "We're not actually," he said. "It's something Dallet does on the down-low. Dilandau doesn't even know about it."  
  
"Masaka…" The second girl began to look like the first.  
  
"Demo, that shouldn't discourage you to go up to level two with Dallet," Miguel said, snickering deep in his throat so he wouldn't sound like he was making it up. "The only people that buy his videos are mostly dirty old men…and well, sometimes pimps looking for new prostitutes…"  
  
The girls exchanged glances and Miguel smirked, believing he had done more than enough. "Well, since it's technically a secret, don't tell Dallet I told you," Miguel said as he planned to retreat. Dilandau seemed as though he were nearly through "talking" with Dallet, "He wouldn't want to pay you for all the copies he's gonna make. Ja."  
  
Miguel was able to safely laugh about their worried comments when he was halfway back to his table. *Ooo, that was good story,* he thought. *I know Dilandau will be pleased with my work.*  
  
*****  
  
"…so be prepared when we all go up to level three," Dilandau concluded. He had spent a little time making Dallet sweat, rubbed in that he couldn't drink, and finally got around to what he actually wanted to "talk" to him about. "I know you usually spend a lot of time on the middle floor, so I don't want you in the middle of something when the time comes."  
  
"Hai…Dilandau-san…" Dallet was a minute away from frowning. The only appropriate way to describe his conversation with Dilandau was bullshit. Absolute bullshit. He didn't know what Dilandau's game was, but he could tell he was simply wasting his time. Dallet concluded that Dilandau's purpose in their "chat' was to just make him anxious. That worked a little, but Dallet wasn't going to be overly cautious like Gatty. He smirked at the though of him as Dilandau permitted him to leave.  
  
*Gatty…* he thought, walking back to the girls, *ano baka. Spending all his time frettin' when he could be liked me--well, not as good as me-- and take advantage of all of the girls about. *Maa ii (Whatever), he's none of my concern.*  
  
When Dallet met up with the two girls again, taking no notice of their diminished interest, he decided he would brag to Gatty later about having two girls. "So, you two ready to go?" he asked.  
  
"Um…you know what?" the blonde said, slowly backing away. "I think we've changed our minds."  
  
"Hun?" Dallet looked as though he had been randomly slapped in the face.  
  
"Yeah..." the other said. "Suddenly we're not in the mood any more…"  
  
"Na-nani--naze??" Dallet's jaw nearly fell to the floor when the girls simply shrugged and disappeared into the crowds of people. "Na…nan da yo??"  
  
Dallet began to shake in anger, desiring to strike someone, but didn't have anyone warranting such a blow. *Wait a minute… he thought. *Everything was cool until I went to talk to Dilandau. Masaka, did Miguel say something?*  
  
Dallet glanced at Miguel now sharing drinks with people Dallet assumed were business associates. He narrowed his eyes and turned them upon Dilandau who was hanging around a sickly Shesta. Neither seemed to be concerned with him (secretly smirking at him) as they would be if they had planned something, so he gave up on the matter. Dallet was still pissed, but it wasn't as if he couldn't find some other willing participant. The wasted time, however, nearly made him want to forget the whole thing completely.  
  
*****  
  
Gatty tapped down his fifth cigarette. Immediately he took out a fresh one and lit the end of it. He had seen the whole thing that happened to Dallet, and it didn't make him one bit more at ease about Dilandau. He had a good idea (having seen Dilandau and Miguel speaking before they split up) that Dilandau told Miguel to discourage the two girls from going up to level two. Gatty was satisfied with his decision to keep a watch on Dilandau, feeling that between him and Dallet, he were the smarter.  
  
*Sure, Dallet,* Gatty thought. He couldn't help but laugh at Dallet's stupidity. *We're off the hook, all right. Hmph, orokana (fool)…*  
  
*****  
  
"Ya did all right," Dilandau said, rotating his glass in his hand.  
  
"…I'm not going to drink any more tonight…" Shesta said, wondering if Dilandau were drinking just to mock him. "I feel better, though."  
  
Dilandau's laugh was cut off as he lifted his glass and allowed the red liquid into his mouth. Shesta watched him, again wondering what was in his "specialty" drink. During the period they worked at the Z, Dilandau had worked as bartender and invented some red drink called a "Red Guymelef. [3]" Whatever it was, whenever Shesta saw anyone but him drink it, the person always ended up coughing and spitting the drink out. Dilandau finished it as if it were orange juice and let out a contented smile.  
  
"Ah, I wish I could convince Allen to buy a mini bar in our house…" Dilandau said. He chuckled at the thought. "He'd never trust me to drink, though."  
  
"Aa," Shesta said, a bit surprised Dilandau wasn't plotting anything at the moment. He guessed Dilandau was finished torturing Dallet.  
  
"Anyway, Dallet's close to getting someone to go with him to level two again. I can't have that."  
  
Shesta made a silent laugh. *I spoke way too soon,* he thought.  
  
"While you were getting that liquor out of your system, I got Miguel to chase off his first two choices and another plan came to mind."  
  
"Sou ka?" Shesta said, referring to both matters. "How'd Miguel do it?"  
  
"He told them something that disgusted him, I guess."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Saa (Who knows)?"  
  
"Well, then what's your other plan?"  
  
Dilandau made a fox-like grin. "Ah, sore wa?" he said. He picked up his glass and made the ice rattle against it.  
  
Shesta put a hand on his forehead. *Not again…* he thought.  
  
*****  
  
Not that preventing Dallet from his favorite activity wasn't fun, but Dilandau decided he needed to unwind a little himself. The focus during the summer had been pranks, pranks, and petty crimes. He had spent little time with any girls. The most he had seen of any girl was the one in his dreams… But Dilandau hardly thought of that girl who didn't exist.  
  
Dilandau, after stopping Dallet two additional times, traveled to the desk off to the side of the dance floor where one could get a key for a room on level two. As usual, there was a line of people and only one person working at the desk. Dilandau shrugged, a line never being a problem for him since he had privileges, and went to the very front. He raised a brow at the man that stood before him.  
  
"Smalls?" Dilandau said.  
  
Smalls grinned and extended his hand to him. "Albatou! Long time no see, man!"  
  
"Sou." Dilandau shook his hand and shared his grin. "Never thought you'd get a promotion like this."  
  
"Heh, kiss my ass," Smalls said, his grin turning triumphant. "So, you want your room, right?"  
  
"No, I'd thought I spend the night looking at your ugly face," Dilandau said casually. He and Smalls had been like that toward one another since they first met.  
  
Smalls gave him the finger. "You're a real asshole, Albatou." Dilandau merely shrugged and smiled at him as if they were having a pleasant conversation.  
  
"Excuse me," a girl said, distracting Smalls from Dilandau. "My boyfriend and I would like a room, you know!"  
  
"Yeah, yeah, don't have a fucking cornea," Smalls muttered. He glanced back at Dilandau. "Uh, Albatou, you think you can get the key yourself? I'm kinda busy."  
  
"For once," Dilandau said, walking behind the desk.  
  
"Ha ha! You know where you can go, Albatou!" Smalls said, still facing the line while he tried to get the impatient girl satisfied.  
  
"This is what I was counting on…" Dilandau said quietly to himself. He examined the board where all the keys were held and grabbed the one that was to his room. The he saw Dallet's room key. Dilandau grinned and switched the number of that key with the number that went to Shesta's room. He checked behind him to make sure Smalls wasn't watching and then came from behind the desk.  
  
"Thanks," Dilandau said as he was leaving.  
  
"Whatever," Smalls said, raising a brow at him. *He's never thanked me before,* he thought.  
  
"Hey!" a guy in front of him said.  
  
"Yeah, all right!" Smalls said, letting out a breath. "Shit…"  
  
*****  
  
Dallet slammed his fist down on a table. "Fuck!" he exclaimed. "Dilandau's so--" He tugged at the end of his long hair. "Fucking Gatty was right…"  
  
When Dallet had first been deprived of a trip to level two, he had only suspected Dilandau had a hand in that, but the other three failures he knew weren't coincidence. Dallet had just managed to seduce a girl when Shesta came up to him. Regardless of Shesta's ranking in the Ryuugekitai, it was still hard to overlook his general innocent look. Shesta's visit was not innocent; he vomited on both Dallet and the girl. The girl ran screaming while Shesta made a lame apology about he should drink so much. Dallet was about to kick his ass for ruining his shirt, but Dilandau came by (too perfectly) and told him the shirt could easily be cleaned. Dallet resisted his urge and simply rid himself of the shirt completely. Luckily, that last time he had been to the Z, he had left a shirt.  
  
Dallet went at it for the third time and had Guimel and Viole in his way. They appeared to be fighting because they were drunk and confused, but that too was overly perfect. During their rumble, which moved all over the place, they happened to knock into the girl Dallet was talking to. This action did enough damage to the girl that when she fell that she could not go with Dallet. Viole and Guimel quickly got over their drunkenness and shrugged off the incident. Dallet wanted to kill them, but fighting the two together was like fighting Gatty along with Shesta (almost). Viole and Guimel did a lot of fighting in pairs and knew how to work better together than any other two of the Ryuugekitai. At that point Dallet temporarily gave up; he would wait for Dilandau to concern himself with something else.  
  
Around one o'clock Dallet saw his chance--Dilandau had gotten a group (five in all) of girls that were practically begging him to take them up to level two with him. In a way Dallet had thought Dilandau was purposely taking five girls to say "you could have had this many by now." It irked him, but he waited until he was sure Dilandau was gone. Then, as an extra precaution, he made sure Miguel, Shesta, Viole, and Guimel weren't left with orders to impede him once again. All of them seemed preoccupied, so he took a shot at it.  
  
Dallet cursed as he remembered how close he was--so damn close. However, when he had went to unlock his room, the key wouldn't work. He couldn't figure it out at all. Then he attempted to get someone on the staff to help him, but they were all busy. Several of them were trying to clean up the mess that Guimel and Viole had made, while others were taking care of the areas Shesta had vomited in. Dallet swore he only had thrown up on himself and the girl, but obviously not. Finally the rest of the staff were busy making security checks because Miguel had said someone else had mentioned something about a gun. In short, no one ever helped Dallet, so the girl got tired of waiting (and accused him of pretending to be part of the Ryuugekitai) and left him. Now it was getting close to the time that Dilandau said they would go up to level three. Though their leader was still occupied in his room, he wouldn't be more than a minute or so over the time he had set. Otherwise, he would have left the time up for grabs.  
  
"God, he had everyone against me!" Dallet said, hitting the table again.  
  
"Yeah, don't you feel like a jackass?" Gatty said. Dallet looked at him, wondering how long he'd been standing at his table.  
  
"Shut your fucking mouth!" Dallet snapped. Gatty was the last person he wanted to see.  
  
Gatty simply laughed and sat down across from him. "Haven't you known Dilandau-san long enough to know he'll always strike you when your eyes are closed?"  
  
"Yeah, and when they're open too," Dallet returned, putting his hands on the table. "I see Dilandau-san hasn't gotten you yet."  
  
"S…so?" Gatty said. He lost about half of his smugness.  
  
Dallet took his turn to laugh. "The night's not over," he said. "Dilandau-san must be waiting to do something big to you."  
  
The two locked into a deadly stare-down--an unsaid agreement to attack the first one that said another word. "Omae-tachi mata (You guys again)?" a voice said, interrupting them.  
  
"Di…landau-san…" Gatty and Dallet said in unison, despite the pause in saying his name.  
  
"The Ryuugekitai shouldn't act like bitter enemies," Dilandau said. He laid his hand on the table and leaned against it.  
  
*As if you have nothing to do with that,* Gatty thought sourly. His eyes now on Dilandau, he noticed the unevenness of his shirt. "Uh, your shirt, Dilandau-san."  
  
"Hmm?" Dilandau examined his shirt and noticed he had began buttoning his shirt on the wrong button. "Oh, I guess I was in a bit of a rush…"  
  
Dallet managed to keep an unaffected visage but his fingers curled into his palm. *If I didn't know any better I'd say he was throwing it in my face again…* he thought. *It wouldn't be a wild assumption to think Dilandau purposely did that to his shirt just so the topic would come up.*  
  
"You know, I had invited Shesta to come up with me," Dilandau said as he rebut toned his shirt.  
  
Dallet raised a brow wondering why he was bringing him up, but Gatty saw that Shesta had walked behind Dallet without his knowing. Apparently Dilandau wanted to pick at Shesta, not Dallet, but of course Dallet didn't see it that way.  
  
"The girls really wanted him to join, but he said he didn't feel well," Dilandau went on. To Dallet, Dilandau seemed to be staring out into space, but he was actually looking at Shesta. "Maybe he doesn't swing that way?"  
  
Gatty only began to laugh when saw how upset Shesta's face became after that. Dilandau, too, seemed to only laugh after seeing Shesta's expression, but Dallet thought they were merely laughing at his rhetorical question. Behind him Shesta was hesitating to defend himself while Gatty and Dilandau were laughing. Dallet, a bit relieved of his tension, allowed himself to contribute to the ridicule of Shesta.  
  
"Well, he does dress like a fag a lot," Dallet said. He jumped when Shesta's hand slammed down next to him on the table. "What the--"  
  
"Maybe you're the faggot," Shesta sneered above the laughter of Dilandau and Gatty (both even more amused). He and Dallet were now firmly gazing at each other. "I saw you try to go up to level two four times and never quite make it… probably because you don't want to admit that girls just don't do it for you any more. [4]"  
  
Dilandau wished he had a tiny recorder; Shesta usually didn't engage in verbal squabbles (he had always been the type that vented on the inside), but when he did, he was vicious. However, Dilandau didn't have the luxury of amusing himself with Shesta for long. He had to prevent Dallet and Shesta from fighting so that they wouldn't go off his schedule.  
  
"Let's get going," Dilandau said in the middle of Dallet's profanities toward Shesta. "I think we all need to take some time to chill."  
  
"Like we should have from the beginning…" Gatty muttered. As Dilandau glanced at him with a thin smile, Gatty hoped his face had shown that he had meant to say that (he had intended to only think it).  
  
"Hmph, let's go get Viole and the others," Dilandau said. He started off before any of them agreed.  
  
Shesta glared at Dallet a moment before following Dilandau; Dallet and Gatty went at the same time, Gatty wearing a smile.  
  
"You knew Shesta was there the whole time, didn't you?" Dallet asked as casually as if asking him "did it rain last night?"  
  
"Aa. Dilandau-san did too." Some reason after that little altercation with Shesta, Gatty was in really good mood.  
  
"Yappari (I knew it)…" Dallet merely wore a light frown.  
  
"Not as if you would have care if Shesta were there or not."  
  
"Gatty," Dallet said, really getting tired of hearing his voice, "do me a favor and shut the hell up."  
  
"Whatever," Gatty complied. He went ahead of Dallet, smile still in place.  
  
"Maybe I'll wreck his car…" Dallet murmured to himself.  
  
*****  
  
Gatty wasn't sure, but he had a feeling that his reason for being on level three with the rest of the Ryuugekitai was to just be there. He didn't seriously think Dilandau wanted him to get high and then drive him home. If that were the case, Dilandau could have let him drink. It wasn't as if Gatty drank excessively (all the Ryuugekitai except Shesta and Guimel drank more than they knew they needed). Still, in the "high" room, the vapors were enough to have an effect on him, so Gatty did little smoking. However, he noticed that Dallet had been taking no heed that he had to drive Gatty's car that night, so Gatty did his best to keep him in line. They stayed in the room a little over an hour, but lingered around the Z for about an additional hour. Gatty had a clear enough head to drive (he still felt a little like he was floating) and literally shook Dallet back to his senses, threatening to kill him if his car was damaged.  
  
Gatty himself had only driven Dilandau's car three times before, never forgetting what Dilandau had told him the first time: "damage my car and I damage your life." Gatty doubted even someone who didn't know Dilandau that well would think it was an empty threat. He drove with ten times more caution than he did when he had take his driving test; the evaluator wouldn't have made his life hell if he messed up.  
  
For once Dilandau's silence was comforting (not that when he spoke Gatty was more at ease) and he had been quiet since he sat down in the front passenger seat. Miguel and Shesta had already been dropped off, respectively, and Gatty planned to walk home since he lived relatively close to Dilandau (and Shesta, for that matter).  
  
Gatty glanced at Dilandau to make sure he wasn't asleep. He wasn't; his eyes were set ahead of him in a sort of daze. Gatty didn't question it, not sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing.  
  
They pulled up into Dilandau's driveway a little later and still Gatty did not see Dilandau make any indication he were awake. There was no way he'd simply leave Dilandau's car keys in his lap and go on home. And, for some reason, there was no way he'd speak first. So Gatty simply sat there, silently waiting to hear Dilandau's voice.  
  
Gatty turned as he heard Dilandau move in his seat. "Were you worried?" Dilandau said, breaking the silence.  
  
"Nani?" Gatty almost laughed because the two of them were speaking softly as if they had consideration of how late it was.  
  
"You really thought I was going to get you," Dilandau said, smiling and closing his eyes, "like I got Dallet."  
  
"Was I wrong to think like that?"  
  
"Iie, but you two were lucky I've been in a good mood."  
  
"Sou ka." Now Gatty relaxed. It hadn't been that Dilandau was plotting something great against him--he was just feeling generous.  
  
"Shikashi, I wanted to see you sweat for a while," Dilandau continued. "Dallet doesn't seem to heed me that well."  
  
"He's cocky," Gatty replied.  
  
"I think we all are."  
  
Gatty raised a brow at Dilandau. *He must really be in a good mood,* he thought. "What's putting you in such a good mood."  
  
"Boku no tanjoubi (my birthday)."  
  
"Oh, yeah…" Gatty said, he looked up at the car's roof as he thought of the exact date. "It's nearly the same day school starts."  
  
"Hmph, yes, unfortunately." Dilandau opened his eyes again and seemed to be grinning at his reflection in the windshield ahead. "I'll be turning sixteen which means I can take less precautions while driving with my real license."  
  
"What precautions?" Gatty said, able to joke with him in this atmosphere.  
  
"Uruse," Dilandau said casually. Gatty chuckled. "I hope Dallet doesn't dent your car; I might feel a little responsible."  
  
Gatty pulled out the keys from the ignition and handed them to Dilandau. "No, you wouldn't," he said, "even if you are more than a 'little' responsible."  
  
Dilandau only laughed in agreement. "I was hoping I'd see you two fight," he admitted.  
  
"Yappari," Gatty said, nodding his head.  
  
"Hoh? Am I getting that predictable?"  
  
Gatty made wry smile. "I wish. I doubt even a psychic could predict your actions."  
  
Dilandau smiled and opened the car door. As he exited, Gatty did the same and stood with him in front of the car. "What do you predict Allen will say?" Dilandau said, swaying slightly back and forth as if antsy or perhaps slightly light-headed.  
  
"Masaka, he can't still be up?" Gatty said. He glanced at the house and saw no lights on.  
  
"He's always lurking about…meddling in my business…" Dilandau put a hand to his head. "Doesn't matter. He'll probably be too tired to yell at me for long."  
  
"Aa." Gatty had to smile; Dilandau wasn't completely himself yet, and it was rare when Dilandau revealed that. Gatty guessed Dilandau didn't like to show that other things and people had an effect on him.  
  
"Might as well get it over with." Dilandau stretched and started for his door. "We might not do morning business tomorrow--or today, rather--so I'll call you later."  
  
"Hai, Dilandau-san." His smile widened after Dilandau went into his house. "He claimed he hardly ever needed to sleep…"  
  
*****  
  
Dilandau was glad it was quiet and dark in the house, only desiring to shut himself in his room now. However, as he passed through the den, the lights flickered on. Dilandau didn't want to look mad, but the lights irritated his eyes.  
  
"Do you have any concern of others in your family?"  
  
Dilandau turned around a little too fast and had to grab a hold of one of the couches for support. "What family?" he said, pretending he was having no trouble.  
  
Allen stepped up to him, examing him like a new species of an animal. "You're going to send yourself to an early grave if you continue like this," he said, literally talking down to him.  
  
Dilandau was more annoyed at his brother's height right now than anything else. "Urasai!" he said, but not loud enough to give himself discomfort. "I'll do as I please."  
  
"Did you drive home in this condition??"  
  
"What the hell's with all these questions??" Dilandau said. He pushed himself away from the couch and went off again. "Shit, every time…"  
  
"Matte! I'm not through with you yet!" Allen began to follow him.  
  
"Allen, get off my fucking back!" Dilandau nearly tripped over a table and cursed. *I can't concentrate and talk to him at the same time,* he realized.  
  
"I can't--you and Celena are my responsibility now. I can't just sit back and watch you either end up dead or spend the rest of your life in prison!"  
  
"Prison? Who's going to prison?" Dilandau stopped walking, figuring it was better to wait until he could shut up Allen up. I've never done anything illegal."  
  
"Drinking underage and while driving during restricted times, taking illegal drugs--"  
  
"How the hell would you know what I do?" Dilandau finally faced him, forcing a menacing expression on his face. "Do you have proof?"  
  
"You look drunk, you smell like marijuana--"  
  
"Heh, that doesn't mean anything." Dilandau laughed more so because he found the whole conversation they were having was ridiculous. "When you see me doing these things you accuse me of, then we'll talk. Oyasumi (Night)."  
  
"Dilandau!" Allen was tempted to stop him from going up the stairs, but he thought it better to leave him alone before he agitated him enough to make him fall. He sighed and cursed his younger brother.  
  
Dilandau, near his bedroom door, laughed into the wall as he leaned against it. "That was too easy…" he mumbled, satisfied with himself.  
  
  
  
--To be continued…  
  
--Some footnotes:  
  
[1]-Notice that when the Ryuugekitai are apart from the rest of the Ryuugekitai they refer to Dilandau without the "san." I didn't want anyone to think I just forget to put it there.  
  
[2]-I decided to do that weird thing where girls in anime (for whatever reason) decide that guys deserve to have "sama" added to their name. My interpretation of it is that they think they're so gorgeous or cool that they deserve that much respect. So, several of the Ryuugekitai will have girl calling them in this manner.  
  
[3]-Doesn't that sound like a cool drink? Or at least some kind of concoction that knocks you out after taking it… ^_^  
  
[4]-Why did Shesta say something so rude? I just wanted him to say something unexpected just because I don't want him to seem like he's as wimpy as he looks. He can be like Dilandau when he wants to be.  
  
--Next Chapter: Don't know the title but it will explain how Gatty became associated with Dilandau, the guys' first day or school, and maybe the appearance of some familiar characters? Don't know, but I doubt any other chapter will be like chapter two, so if some of you didn't like it, bear with me, and for those who did, don't hesitate to tell me so! ^_^ 


	4. Dilandau the Social Worker, Part One

*Author's Notes: Sorry, for the delay if any. It took long than I expected. I'd like to send a special thanks to Fitz who has been really encouraging me to get another chapter out (arigatou gozaimasu). Anyone who has reviewed, thanks too. I really do appreciate it. The title is well… uh, I don't know. Dilandau's kinda like a social worker if you use your imagination. Well, anyway he's like a therapist which a social worker is a type of. Hope no one is bothered by Gatty's kinda bad situation. It was the first thing that came to me, so I went with it. Mimi pops up again, so if any one didn't like her, zan'nen da! ^_^ For the record, she's not Gatty's girlfiriend. He just doesn't mess around with as many girls as the others do. Well, enough rambling--enjoy!  
  
  
  
Chapter Three: Dilandau the Social Worker, Part One  
  
  
  
Gatty was angry he was in the condition he was in on such a day. The first day of middle school and he had a discolored cheek. He tried to cover it up as he walked into the school and hoped no one would ask him about it. He gently touched his cheek and noticed he had a slight inflammation about it.  
  
"Damn," Gatty muttered, staring at his reflection. He futilely raised his collar to hide it and then released the fabric between his finger. "Muda da (It's useless)…"  
  
Gatty closed his eyes , the whole scene flashing before his eyes: the loud words, the panic he had felt, the strike to his face. He remembered it all. He couldn't go on like this; his whole summer had been hell. Gatty tugged at his short hair and tried to think clearly. If anyone asked, he had fallen on his face. It seemed logical; no one would question it.  
  
"Yeah…" Gatty agreed with himself. He opened his eyes and nearly jumped at what he saw in the reflection. Some boy with red, demon-like eyes was staring at him in the mirror image. Gatty wasn't sure how long he'd been there or how he had entered the bathroom (as squeaky as the door was) undetected.  
  
"Nani?" Gatty faced the boy, expressing his annoyance rather than his fear. Gatty had the distinct feeling he should be wary of the stranger.  
  
"What happened to your face?" the boy said, his voice flat as if he didn't really care.  
  
"I…I fell; what's it your business?" Gatty replied. He frowned not only because of the boy's tone, but his grin that followed Gatty's reply. "Whatever…"  
  
Gatty could feel the boy's eyes upon him as he left, but he didn't care. "How can you stand that?" the boy said just as Gatty opened the door.  
  
"What do you mean?" Gatty looked back at him, almost cringing at how evil the boy's eyes looked.  
  
"I'd never let anyone hit me like that and get away with it."  
  
Gatty's eyes grew wide. "How did you--"  
  
"I've seen you in the neighborhood before--with worse bruises."  
  
"Yeah, and so what?" Gatty's fear melted into anger. "Who do you think you are getting into my business?"  
  
"I'm Dilandau." Dilandau smirked at him. "You'll soon be very familiar with that name."  
  
Gatty heard Dilandau's laughter for the first time after he said that and Gatty couldn't help but shudder as it rang in the room…  
  
******  
  
Ringing. A ringing was interrupting Gatty's sleep. His hand emerged from under the covers and pulled his cell phone underneath the covers. He turned it on without much thought and put it to his ear without opening his eyes.  
  
"Dare da (Who is this)?" Gatty said more like a whine.  
  
"Not a good way to answer your phone, Gatty. What if this had been Dilandau-san?"  
  
"Viole." Gatty turned over on his side. "What do you want?"  
  
"I just wanted to know when you're leaving your house."  
  
Gatty's hand came from under his sheet again to pull his alarm clock over to his face. He cracked open his eyes and saw the red numbers before him. The clock read "6:05." Gatty closed his eyes again and growled softly.  
  
"Well?"  
  
"Probably in an hour and a half."  
  
"All right." Viole hung up.  
  
Gatty frowned and pushed his alarm clock out of his bed after shutting off his cell. He took no heed of the electronic falling to the ground. Now unable to fall back asleep, Gatty pulled the sheet from above his head. He sighed and rotated his bare shoulders.  
  
"God, I hate the first day of school…" Gatty muttered. Part of his dream flashed before is eyes. "I wonder if Dilandau's awake…"  
  
******  
  
Allen set his coffee mug back down upon the table. He already felt as though he had been through a full working day. "Are you sure you don't want to go back to AP?" he asked. He smiled thinly. "It's not too late to transfer back."  
  
"I'm sure." Celena stared down into her yogurt cup as if contradicting her statement. "I want to try to get closer to Dilandau, and I have friends outside Austria Prep, so I'll be all right."  
  
Allen sighed. "You might just push your brother away, you know. He's involved in a lot that you may not want to find out about, or more importantly that he doesn't want you to find out about."  
  
"It's fine," Celena said. "I can't stand how distant we are now… If there's a chance we can be closer…just spend some more time together, I want to take the risks. We used to be like best friends… Now it's like he hates me."  
  
"Celena, I'm sure that's not--"  
  
Allen stopped when Dilandau stumbled into the kitchen, wearing only a pair of pants. His eyes were half open and his yawn drew the attention of his sister. Celena lifted her head and watched his motions as if he were a ghost of some sort. He might as well have been one, the way he moved as if he was the only one present and the way Allen and Celena regarded him in silence. Dilandau went to the cabinet, grabbed the first box of cereal that his hand touched, and opened the box. He poured the cereal into his mouth, several flakes landing outside his mouth, and left the box sitting open on the counter. Finally Dilandau went to the refrigerator, grabbed the jug of milk, and poured more than enough milk into his nearly full mouth. Milk trickled down the side of his mouth and began to gather at his chin. The rest of the excess milk landed on the floor in front of the refrigerator. Dilandau chewed for a while, almost mechanically, and swallowed. He wiped his mouth and chin with his palm.  
  
*He's unbelievable,* Allen thought, watching Dilandau's slow retreat from the kitchen. "I'm surprised you're awake this early," he said, ending the silence. "Didn't you just go to sleep three hours ago?"  
  
Dilandau turned back as if suddenly realizing his brother and sister were there. It was probably the distance he and Dilandau were apart, but Allen saw Dilandau's eyes to be a rust color rather than the usual glowing red embers. Dilandau stared at his brother a while, scratched at his chest, and continued out of the room.  
  
"I guess he's all right," Allen said. He took an apple from the basket on the table. "I just wanted to make sure he wasn't completely out of it."  
  
"How can you tell?" Celena wondered.  
  
"He glared at me so he was at least coherent enough to recognize my sarcasm." Allen took a bite from his apple.  
  
"Allen, you don't think that Dilandau will…will…"  
  
Allen shook his head. "I try not to think about that," he said, "and I pray for him every day."  
  
"Me too." Celena smiled despite the grim conversation. *With luck Dilandau and I can make some progress*, she thought. *I won't give up easily on him.*  
  
******  
  
Gatty ran a comb through his bangs a few times, his real purpose to waste all the extra time he had. "Damn Viole…" he said, merely playing with his hair. He stared at his reflection, wondering if he was due for a haircut. "I outta make him walk to school."  
  
A knock came at Gatty's door and he froze, staring firmly at his reflection. "Can I come in?" a voice said behind his door.  
  
Gatty set down his comb on the dresser. "Aa." He turned toward the door before it opened. A man with light brown hair stood at his doorway, but made no attempts to enter. "What do you want?"  
  
"I just wanted to know if you could lend me some money," the older man said. "I'll be able to pay you back next week when I get paid."  
  
"What the hell do you need the money for?" Gatty had an expression of one that said if it was for any kind of alcoholic beverage, there would be hell to pay.  
  
"It's…it's only for groceries, that's all. I doubt there's anything to make for dinner tomorrow night. We also need some detergent and things like that."  
  
"Oh… Gatty pulled his wallet from his pocket. "Oyaji (Father/Dad), you outta get a better-paying job. You work enough hours that buying groceries shouldn't ever be a problem."  
  
Gatty handed his father a hundred-dollar bill. "I know, I'm sorry," his father said. "But you know, I'm still trying to…to cover my debts…"  
  
"Hmph, at least you're not taking money from me to do that," Gatty spat. He lifted some of the bitterness from his tone. "Just don't forget to pay me back."  
  
"I won't," Gatty's father said. He same a smile that suggested he was unsure if one was appropriate or not. "Is there anything specific you want me to pick up?"  
  
Gatty ran his hand along his left pocket, missing the bulge where his lighter should have been. "A carton of cigarettes."  
  
"I thought you were going to quit."  
  
Gatty adverted his eyes from his father's brown eyes to prevent himself from being affected by the concern in his father's voice and façade. "You sound like Mimi," he mumbled. He looked back at his father once he had a steady expression. "I am going to…eventually, but the first couple days of school make me edgy. I'm sure I don't need to explain that to you."  
  
This time he father looked away. "Sorry for that."  
  
Gatty held up a hand. "We're not going down that road again, okay?"  
  
His father looked back at him. "Is that what you really want?"  
  
"Yes!"  
  
"All right. Whenever you get home there should be food to eat, if you want it." He turned and pulled the door shut.  
  
Gatty let out a breath. "I'm never talking about that again…" he said. *I'm doing my best now to just forget it happened…*  
  
******  
  
Dilandau continuously ran his tongue along his mouth, attempting to rid himself of the taste of cereal. *Damnit,* he thought, *I never eat cereal. Allen could have woken me up a little earlier before I put that shit in my mouth… Che, I hate cereal.*  
  
"Who does he think he is…commenting on my sleeping habits…" Dilandau muttered. He slid down in the couch and rested one of his legs on the glass table ahead of him. He rubbed is face a few times. "Sleep is for the weak."  
  
"…terrible incident a little less than a week ago."  
  
Dilandau glanced at the television, wondering when he had turned it on. He figured it must have been just before he was fully awake. Allen's little comment had woken him a little, but when he had sat in his den (and obviously turned on the television), Dilandau became fully conscious.  
  
"…my house…" the old woman on the television sobbed. "I've lived here for forty years and nothing like this has ever happened."  
  
The television cut to a familiar old man who had a murderous look on his face. "There were about ten of these punks," he spat. "They all took off after they ruined my den!"  
  
Dilandau made a satisfied grin. "Not only are those old people careless, but they can't count either," he said.  
  
"…be the work of the Zaibach vandals responsible for the City Hall defacing and the playground horror [1]," a reporter said. "Police say they have no concrete evidence, however."  
  
"Mochiron (Of course)," Dilandau said as if the woman could hear him, "the Ryuugekitai will never be caught."  
  
"…for sure, we'll get them in the end," a police officer said, concluding the report. Dilandau began nearly hysterical laughter as the television went to commercial.  
  
Celena walked into the room, heading to the cabinet on the other side of the room. Dilandau's laughter quickly died and his eyes locked on her like a red target. Celena grabbed some paper and some pens from the cabinet and started out of the room. Dilandau smiled wickedly at her back.  
  
Celena was almost out the family room when she heard Dilandau's soft chuckle. "You're actually leaving AP, hmm?"  
  
Celena slowly turned, shocked he was addressing her.  
  
"U…uhn…" Celena tried to have a casual expression. *He looks so scary just sitting there,* she thought. *Demo, this is the first time he's talked to me in a long time without him simply saying "shut up," "hurry up," or "get out."*  
  
Dilandau slid his leg along the glass table and continued to stare at his sister like one who planned to shoot someone who was unaware he or she had a gun. "Naru hodo (I see)," he said. "Well, then I only have one thing to say to you: stay out of my way."  
  
Celena was already nervous from his strange actions and appearance; his statement only made her more cautious. "Wha…what are you talking about?" she asked. "I'm not going to Zaibach High to cause trouble for you… I'm just gonna do my work and come back home."  
  
"If you choose to interfere with me and friends," Dilandau added as if not listening, "you'll regret it. Soon you'll learn that I control the school."  
  
"Hu-huh?" Celena held herself to prevent her body from shaking. Dilandau just had an ominous voice--like she was going to her death.  
  
"Wasureru nai (Don't forget)." Dilandau grinned at her, revealing his upper row of teeth.  
  
*Ko…kowai…* Celena thought, only staring at him a few more seconds. She decided to leave, having the feeling Dilandau would say no more to her.  
  
Dilandau remained grinning two seconds after she left before dropping his expression into a scowl. "Che…" he muttered. "This will change things a little…"  
  
******  
  
Gatty wasn't sure or not if he was proceeding to school according to Dilandau's schedule or if he was behind. Usually Dilandau would call him to tell him approximately what time he should be at school, but Gatty received no call yet. He wasn't sure if Dilandau himself was running late or if maybe he had decided to skip the first day all together.  
  
*Hmm…demo if he were going to do that he'd definitely call me,* Gatty thought. *He usually has several things to us planned during school hours. I'd call him, but he usually doesn't like phone calls unless it's really important--*  
  
"Oi, Gatty," Viole's voice came from the back seat. "Is it true Dilandau-san taught you how to fight?"  
  
"Yeah, I've heard that too," Guimel said next to Viole.  
  
Gatty stopped at a red light, frowning up at the two in his mirror above. "Yeah, that's true," he said. "What of it?"  
  
"Jaa (Well then), it must be true the reason your father acts like he's afraid of you is because you beat him up when you were in middle school," Viole said.  
  
Gatty leaned one arm of the steering wheel and turned sideways in his seat. "That's not any of your damn business!" he snapped, pointing at Viole. His temper began to rise as Viole and Guimel laughed.  
  
"Hey, I was just asking," Viole said, brushing him off. "By the way, the light's green."  
  
Gatty scowled at him for a second before facing front again. "You don't need to get so upset," Guimel added as Gatty passed in intersection.  
  
"Omae-tachi--" Gatty was urged to stop the car and kick them out.  
  
Before Gatty could fume about the two intruding into his privacy, his cell phone went off. Viole and Guimel recognized Gatty's cell phone's distinct ring, so neither mistook the ring for their own cell phones. Gatty, usually driving with only one hand, used his free hand to pull his cell from his pocket. He was halfway grateful for the interruption and halfway angry at not chewing Viole and Guimel out completely.  
  
"Hai?" Gatty said, trying to pay equal attention to the road and to the sound of Dilandau's voice. "On the way to school. Nani sore? Sou ka. All right. I will. Ja." Gatty clicked the phone off and set it in the passenger's seat.  
  
"What Dilandau-san say?" Guimel asked.  
  
"We're having an important meeting in the courtyard before school starts," Gatty reported. "Same spot as last year."  
  
"Important? Aren't all Dilandau-san's meetings important?" Viole said, looking to Guimel. "I wonder what it's about."  
  
"Heh, it's probably Dilandau-san reassigning jobs," Guimel said. He tapped at his puffy hair. "I didn't mind mine too much last year."  
  
"Oh, yeah, " Viole said. "You were pretty good at that…"  
  
*Thank God for the Ryuugekitai,* Gatty thought as his two friends discussed last year. *Iie, rather Dilandau. If he hadn't called me just now, I'm sure those two would have tried to dig into my past. Once again I have to thank Dilandau for solving my problems…*  
  
******  
  
Not that any of the Ryuugekitai thought Dilandau was a monster (at least not openly to his face), but when Dilandau was at school among other children around his age, he seemed like a teenager; his terrifying image was slightly diminished and Dilandau almost looked like a regular person standing in the courtyard with several other students behind him. It was easy for them to forget they were a gang and spent most of their time causing trouble and causing people pain. Yes, it was easy to forgot--until Dilandau opened his mouth. Yet, he had not done so and was merely standing in front of his six friends with a frown as if thinking deeply. They all thought it was a bit strange, but they weren't going to call Dilandau on it. Shesta decided, instead, to inquire his friends about some things that were important enough that Dilandau wouldn't mind him bringing up.  
  
"Uh, I'm going to change to a few of our schedule so we all have the same lunch…" Shesta said, eyeing Dilandau carefully, "so if anyone wants a class changed tell me now."  
  
"Yeah, drop my science class and put me in driver's ed," Dallet said. "That class is easy."  
  
"Put a study hall somewhere in mine," Miguel said as Shesta noted what Dallet had requested.  
  
"That it?" Shesta asked as he recorded what Miguel wanted. "No one has any other changes?" The rest of the Ryuugekitai shook their heads.  
  
"Changes…" Dilandau said, grabbing all of their attention. "There'll be some this year…"  
  
"Such as?" Gatty said not hesitating to prod him as the others did.  
  
"Celena."  
  
Regardless if the six boys recognized the name, they all expressed confusion why the person would bring about changes for them. Dilandau took a moment while they murmured among themselves to think of his twin sister. Dilandau had made it clear that Allen would drive her to school or she'd take the bus. Under no circumstance would he drive her to school. Dilandau had a good reputation (well, a good reputation of being bad), and he didn't want that to change because of Celena's actions. He wondered if anyone would notice they were twins; Dilandau supposed he could say she was his cousin. Then again, several people were aware that he had a sister because Allen had been in newspapers and magazines before (because of his recent Olympic accomplishments) [2] and his family was often discussed. Dilandau made a mental sigh; he'd just have to ignore her as he had been doing.  
  
"Who's Celena?" Guimel finally asked.  
  
"Baka! She's Dilandau-san's twin sister!" Miguel said.  
  
"Nani? There's someone out there that looks just like Dilandau?" Dallet said. He scratched his head, remembering he had known Dilandau had a sister but he had never been introduced to her much less knew she was his twin.  
  
"You know, Shesta I guess we were the only ones that have actually seen her," Gatty mused. "Still that was a long time ago."  
  
"Must have been sixth grade," Shesta noted. "I don't think I remember what she looks like."  
  
"Duh, she must look like Dilandau-san," Viole said.  
  
Dilandau snapped out of his reverie and stepped up to Viole, grabbing him by his collar. "Who said we were identical twins?" he growled.  
  
"Uh…uh…I …I…just assumed," Viole stuttered, sweat imediately rolling down the side of his neck.  
  
*I think they are identical twins,* Gatty thought, *but not foolish enough to say. I know at least Celena resembled him when she were younger; I don't know if that's still true.*  
  
Dilandau made an irritated, but soft sound and pushed Viole away from him. "Listen up, everyone," he said in his defy-me-and-suffer voice. "Celena is of no concern to us. Business will go on as usual."  
  
"I thought you just said we'd have changes--" Miguel began.  
  
"Did I say I was finished??" Dilandau snapped. He calmed a little as Miguel backed down from his query. "Anyway, what I mean by she is none of our concern is that we won't resort to terrorizing her or even acknowledging she exists at our school. The change is that we will be more careful about what she sees us doing. That's why we won't get involved with her or she'll find out some of the secret things we do."  
  
"So Celena is attending Zaibach now," Gatty determined from what Dilandau had said. When the others realized that, they made more murmurs of surprise.  
  
"Yes, so it's important we take a bit more care in what we do. It's inevitable that she'll find out some of our operations just because they're common knowledge at Zaibach, but we don't want her to somehow figure out the other stuff. Does everyone understand?"  
  
"Hai, Dilandau-san," the six said.  
  
"Ii (Good). Other than her, the year should go smoothly again." Dilandau turned and grinned at some of the other students. "We're sophomores this year, two years from graduating from this hellhole. Shikashi, I wonder if they'll be anything left we haven't done by the time we're seniors."  
  
The Ryuugekitai was glad to hear his laughter afterwards because somehow they sensed Dilandau was not at ease with his sister at school. If he was at unease, the rest of the Ryuugekitai was at unease. Dilandau seemed to have dropped the matter and was scheming for the new school year.  
  
"Oi, what does Celena look like?" Viole asked while Dallet and Dilandau discussed something.  
  
"Well, she should look a little like Dilandau if they're related," Guimel said. He leaned against a bench. "Demo, she could look a lot like Allen who doesn't look all that much like Dilandau."  
  
"I wonder why we don't ever see her in the first place," Miguel said. He made a short wave to someone he recognized. "I mean, we've all known Dilandau for at least three years; we've seen Allen enough times."  
  
"Whatever the reason is, we shouldn't dwell upon this too much," Shesta said. He noticed Dilandau was finished speaking with Dallet, so Shesta lowered his voice. "You know that prying into Dilandau's privacy is a guaranteed way to get slapped."  
  
"Aa," Gatty agreed.  
  
"What's everyone talking about, hmm?" Dilandau asked, smiling at their shrugs. "Hmph, as long as it doesn't affect me who cares. I have few doubts you all would do anything behind my back, unless you were prepared for the repercussions of stabbing me in the back."  
  
The bell rang, marking the first period of school was going to start in some minutes. Students slowly began to leave the courtyard and head back into the school. The Ryuugekitai lingered behind, their leader not giving them the okay for them to leave. Gatty was particularly relieved, starting to feel his old trepidations from starting a new school year. He didn't know why the anxiety he had experienced in sixth grade stayed with him for four years. Each year it lessened a degree, but it was still there.  
  
"Last year we had five teachers fired," Dilandau said, seeing some teachers he believed to be new. He guessed several would quit after last year. "Pay attention to your teachers and others; let's see if we can double that number this year."  
  
Dilandau softly chuckled and put a hand in his pocket. He nodded after all the Ryuugekitai complied, signaling the six were free to go. Dilandau and Gatty were the only two that remained behind. Gatty sighed and kept making looks as though he wanted to enter the school, but couldn't. Dilandau turned a serious expression upon his friend.  
  
"Why do you get like this?" Dilandau asked.  
  
"Iie, it's not what you're thinking--"  
  
"Bullshit. Gatty, your father has not only you to fear but the whole Ryuugekitai that hold him into place."  
  
"I know, I know." Gatty ran a hand through his tan hair. "He doesn't scare me any more--I almost like him again. I guess that one experience has conditioned me for life. I should be okay by the time the week's over with."  
  
"Well," Dilandau said with one of his grins that meant his thoughts were in the gutter. "I know of something that usually eases me."  
  
"Heh, and I know exactly what you're talking about." Gatty's eyes trailed a trio of girls who quickly pretended to not watch him and Dilandau. He smiled in both flattery and the ego that came with being a Ryuu. "I never used such methods to calm myself."  
  
"It works for me and Dallet for that matter," Dilandau said with a shrug. He put his hand on Gatty's shoulder. "Don't knock it until you've tried it." Dilandau went of to the school's entrance before Gatty could respond, if he had any thing left to say to him.  
  
"Well, maybe first period will be enough to calm me," Gatty said. He made a sarcastic smile. *Or maybe I need a new therapist.*  
  
******  
  
Dallet had been doing less of a watch on his teachers as Dilandau had instructed and more of a watch on cute girls. It was just as well because Viole and Guimel usually suggested people to target while Dallet suggested girls Dilandau should date. Well, "date" wasn't the word--it was more like "fool around with." Dilandau's head was too inflated to stick with one girl. Not that Dallet was always exclusively seeing one girl; he couldn't really afford it with being a Ryuu.  
  
"Hmm…" Dallet said as he glanced at his schedule. He shrugged and headed to his locker. *One down and six to go,* he thought.  
  
Just as he popped open his black locker, Shesta appeared next to the adjacent locker. "Got your revised schedule," Shesta said.  
  
Dallet put a book away and closed the locker back. "Did you even go to first period?" he wondered.  
  
"You know how the guidance counselor 'loves' me," Shesta said, shrugging. He handed Dallet a folded piece of paper. "She gave me a pass even though they was only ten minutes of class left when I was done."  
  
"Sou ka," Dallet said. He unfolded the paper and noticed the fifty- dollar bill within. "What's this?"  
  
"To pay back for the shirt I ruined a few days back," Shesta said. He didn't look embarrassed, but he didn't look like he was pulling Dallet's leg either. "I would have done it sooner, but you know Dilandau-san wouldn't want us taking responsibility for doing his bidding. Yeah, he told me to drink some more and try to throw up on you, but…well, we all have a vindictive side and I don't need you plotting against me."  
  
"Hmph," Dallet said, putting the bill into his pocket. "Kowai (Scared)?"  
  
"Hardly." Shesta frowned at Dallet as he smiled. "I'll soon be too busy to worry about you trying to get me back."  
  
Dallet continued to smile and looked over his new schedule. "Thanks," he said, making it unclear to what he was pertaining.  
  
"Whatever," Shesta said. He glanced at his watch and turned to leave. "Gotta give Miguel's his next…"  
  
Miguel… Dallet thought. "Oi, matte!" he said, walking up to Shesta.  
  
"Nan da?" Shesta asked. He raised a brow at Dallet's grin.  
  
"Miguel started a rumor about me, didn't he?" Dallet asked in a hushed voice. "You know, don't you?"  
  
"Uh…" Shesta had heard from Dilandau yesterday the detail of what Miguel had said to discourage the girls from going up to level two with Dallet.  
  
"Come on, Shesta," Dallet said, clenching a fist. "At the Z a lot of girls are avoiding me because of something Miguel said. I know it was him, but I need to know what he said so I can confront him."  
  
"Listen, whatever he said was because Dilandau-san told him to say it," Shesta said. He held up his hands as Dallet glared at him. "Hey, if Dilandau-san told you to do the same thing, would you do it?"  
  
"Of course, but--"  
  
"Then let it go. Hey, if you want I'll talk to Dilandau-san and see if he can get the rumor removed. It's not as if there was any way you could do that…"  
  
"Do what??" Dallet demanded.  
  
"Bestu ni, bestu ni (nothing, nothing)." Shesta glanced at his watch again. "Man, I better go before I'm late to next period. Later, Dallet."  
  
Dallet watched him go and let out a sigh. "Maybe he's right," he said. He smiled at some passing girls. "Guess I'll just wait until it comes out."  
  
******  
  
Viole slammed a shorter boy against a row of lockers. He smiled as he held the younger boy in place and saw the fear dancing in his eyes. That was good; there would be a problem if the boy was angry. The Ryuugekitai needed to present a certain level of fear at school. This was one of the ways they did this.  
  
"Oi, I think my friends asked you a question," Viole said. "You weren't trying to ignore him, huh?"  
  
"Ii…iie…" the boy stammered.  
  
"That's good," Guimel said, giving the boy a fake smile. "You want to answer my question then?"  
  
"Wha…what was…the question?"  
  
"Oi!" Viole pulled the boy from the lockers and held him above the floor by his collar. "You tryin' to play around with us??"  
  
"I-I-iie! I really didn't hear it!" they boy claimed. Viole had to keep his angry expression instead of the amused one he was tempted give. It was funny to pretend to be annoyed just to make other kids nervous.  
  
"I asked you where you were going," Guimel said, smirking behind Viole. "I suggest you answer before my friend here tries to close your head in a locker."  
  
"I was just going to class!" the boy said weakly.  
  
"Oh, was that all?" Viole said, lowering the boy. He smiled to Guimel. "The freshie was just going to class."  
  
"Aw, I guess he doesn't want to be late," Guimel said. He began to laugh after that.  
  
"Gee, I guess we better let him go," Viole mocked. He smiled and released the boy's collar.  
  
"Uh…ari…gatou…" the boy said. He took one step. Viole moved in his way. The boy tried the other way and Guimel blocked him. "A…ano…"  
  
"What's the hurry?" Viole asked. He looked at his watch. "You got about five minutes left."  
  
"Um…I just wanna…"  
  
"What's your name, kid?" Guimel interrupted.  
  
"Thomas," Thomas said.  
  
"Well, Tommy," Viole said, putting hand on his shoulder. "I'm afraid we can't let you go just yet."  
  
"Aa, zan'nen da," Guimel chuckled.  
  
"Wh…why not?" Thomas asked, looking between two taller boys.  
  
Guimel held up a handful of cards that looked like credit cards. "You need to buy one of these before we can let you go."  
  
"What…what are they?" Thomas stuffed his hands into his pockets to prevent himself from completely shaking.  
  
Viole took one from Guimel's hand and put it nearly in the boy's face. "This is an 'Anti-Ryuu-Target Card,'" Viole said. "You get it renewed every week and we won't put you on our list."  
  
"Li-Li-List?"  
  
"Yeah, a li-li-list," Guimel said. He and Viole briefly laughed at the boy's stammering. "You don't want to be on the Ryuugekitai's list."  
  
"Sou da." Viole waved the card in front of Thomas. "So, you gonna buy one for this week or would you like us to stop you every day?'  
  
"How much?" Thomas asked quickly.  
  
"Ten bucks," Guimel answered. He smiled at Thomas's wide eyes. "It goes up, of course, especially if you don't buy one often."  
  
Thomas swallowed and took a five-dollar bill and five ones from his pocket. "This is all I got," he said.  
  
Viole snatched it from the boy. "Lucky you," he said. He handed the boy the card. "Don't loose it, Tommy."  
  
Thomas nodded and was relieved when Viole and Guimel let him pass. He took off with little hesitation. The two Ryuu grinned at the retreating boy, enjoying their work.  
  
"Tell your friends to get theirs!" Guimel called after the boy.  
  
"Another boy goes hungry," Viole said, stuffing the money into his pocket. "Almost makes you sad, ne?"  
  
"Hmph, are you being sympathetic?" Guimel said. He counted the number of ART cards left.  
  
Viole laughed. "I don't even know what that means," he said.  
  
"That and ten thousand other words," Guimel muttered.  
  
"Nan da?"  
  
"Nani mo nai (Nothing). Let's sell the other twenty-six cards. You know Dilandau-san will give us hell if we have even one unsold."  
  
"Ah, the life of a Ryuu," Viole said, smirking as he made a mock sigh.  
  
******  
  
"Ah, ah…" Gatty sighed, lying on a bench in another courtyard. "I'm still tense… It just won't go away." He idly watched students passing him, not caring if he went to his next class or not. He hadn't liked his snooty first period teacher who constantly glanced at him as if he were up to something. Perhaps the man had been given a heads-up on the Ryuugekitai. That was slightly impressive; their power was increasing greatly.  
  
"I don't know if Dilandau was being courteous--" Gatty snorted between his sentence. "--or if he just coincidentally forgot to assign me anything to specific to do today… Maybe he knew I'd be of no use to him with my condition."  
  
Gatty's brow rose as he caught sight of Mimi and a group of other girls. *I know of something that usually eases me…* Gatty heard Dilandau's voice clearly in his head. *He really is like some kind of counselor.*  
  
Gatty say up in the bench and slid off it just as Mimi went inside the school. He grinned at he followed her and her friends who all gathered at Mimi's locker. Gatty, not wishing to deal with her ditzy friends, waited fro them to wander off before approaching her. He tried his best not to appear smug or amused.  
  
"Hey," Gatty said with only the faintest smile. He was met with an annoyed look which only made his smile more visible.  
  
"Oh, so now you have the time to talk to me?" Mimi said. She turned her back to him. "I shouldn't even waste my time with a little boy like you."  
  
Gatty silently laughed at her back. She had been the one that had always pursued him even though he was a year younger and she knew that he was into some terrible things. When Gatty was worried about Dilandau, he had the time to find the situation with Mimi to be hilarious. He had never thought he'd have an older woman attracted to him as well as same and younger ages.  
  
"Aw, you don't think I'm cute any more?" Gatty said, running his hand down from her shoulder to her arm.  
  
Mimi abruptly faced him again, forcing his hand to drop. "You are such a little jerk!" she said. "You practically ignored me the whole summer and now that we've back in school you wanna give me a little of your attention??"  
  
"So you'd prefer I continue to ignore you?" Gatty retorted. He couldn't help buy laugh at her frustrated expression. "All right, fine. It's not every day my schedule allows me to spend some time on other non- Ryuu related matter, but--"  
  
"You know what I mean!"  
  
Gatty merely smiled at her until she finally gave up. "Why do you take orders from him?" Mimi sighed. "It's not as if he really liked you or something; you should just quit the Ryuugekitai."  
  
"Iie, I can't do that." Gatty stepped closer to her and grinned. "Do you really want to know why I stick around Dilandau?"  
  
"Yes," Mimi said. Neither took heed of the bell ringing.  
  
"You won't believe me."  
  
"I will," Mimi grasped his arm and gave him a smile. "Come on, tell me."  
  
"All right." Gatty shook his head, preparing to tell the truth because he didn't feel like lying just so it would sound more truthful. "I was having some family problems when I started middle school. One of them was my father became unemployed after he developed a bad drinking problem because my mother recently died. For a while we lived off the money she had left us in her passing, but that soon ran out. My bum of a father was too 'depressed' and drunk to concern himself with paying things like the mortgage. In short, I was going to be homeless with an useless father.  
  
"It all changed when I met Dilandau, however. He took care of my first problem with my father and then he and I formed the Ryuugekitai. Once I was a member, I was allowed a share of the money we, uh…somehow came across… Anyway, I was able to pay the bills my father couldn't until I forced my father to get a job and get off the booze. I would have never been able to pay for those bills or smack enough sense into my father to make him come back to his senses if it hadn't been for Dilandau."  
  
Gatty held back a laugh as he looked at Mimi's scrutinizing face. He knew she was trying to figure out if he was telling the truth or not. Gatty also knew what her conclusion would be before she began to laugh. He smiled back at her, not expecting her to believe him.  
  
"Yeah, right!" Mimi laughed. She patted him on the shoulder. "Great story, Gatty; do you tell all the girls that 'touching' story?"  
  
"Not unless they ask," Gatty said. He shrugged. "Well, I'm gonna go; you coming with me?"  
  
"Oi, matte yo!" Gatty had began to leave before he replied. She followed him as if he had stolen something from her. "Where are we going?"  
  
******  
  
In general, Dilandau hated all his classes, but he loathed history. When he thought of a slow, painful death, he imagined being stabbed to death by useless facts of a dead past. The past was the past; why was everyone required to memorize dates, recall "important" events, and know ten thousand people who had been dead for at least a hundred years? The only thing that vaguely interested him was the battles, but Dilandau liked the bloody, drawn-out, causality-filled wars that devastated countries and/or made another country powerful. Dilandau would have gladly participated in one of these wards, but he had no interest to join the military at the present. The world was too concerned with peace and several treaties had been signed to prevent Gaea and other countries from going to war. Dilandau hated the pacifism of the world.  
  
"…was invented in the fifth century," the white-haired woman continued. "With the invention of this, it was possible…"  
  
Dilandau, down in his chair so that his head touched the back of his chair, closed his eyes. *I wonder who I'll get to do my homework for me this year,* he thought. *Guimel should be scouting for some egg-head to do it. Hmm… I wonder what I should do tonight. Maybe I'll do something by myself. The others usually like it when I give them a little leeway every once in a while. Gotta let 'em breathe from time to time. I guess I could go on a date. Haven't done that in a while. I'll ask Dallet to--"Schezar- san, Schezar-san, Schezar-san…"*  
  
"Hmm?" Dilandau opened an angry eye, not sure if his irritation was due to the teacher's audacity to address him (when he clearly had no interest in the class or the woman) or if it was because the old woman's voice had became part of his thoughts. "Nan da??"  
  
His teacher put her hands on her hips. "Excuse, Schezar-san," she said. She blushed at the few chuckles from other students. "This is history class, not Sleeping 101. I suggest you get more rest at home."  
  
"I suggest you get a well-needed face lift," Dilandau muttered. The increase in laughter aroused the teacher's suspicion.  
  
"What did you say??"  
  
"What do you want??" Dilandau sat straight and gave her a death- glare. "If it was simply to wake me up, you've wasted your time! I haven't been sleeping!"  
  
"Well, then," his teacher said, "can you tell me the date of Gaea's Industrial Revolution?" The classroom grew silent as they waited for him to answer.  
  
*I hate history,* Dilandau thought. "Yesterday?" he answered. His anger slowly began to disappear as the teacher's anger appeared.  
  
"Schezar-san--!"  
  
"1801, duh."  
  
Dilandau's temper came back full circle upon hearing the smug, impertinent voice. "Dare da--" He turned his head towa5d the source of the aggravating voice.  
  
"Correct!" the teacher said, pleased with the other student's knowledge. "What is your name, young man?"  
  
Dilandau stared daggers at his grinning classmate who had dared to make him look stupid. "Van Fanel," the dark-haired boy said. Most of the class expressed surprise.  
  
"Oh, my, are you related to same Fanels that founded the city Fanel?" the teacher asked.  
  
"Yes, I just moved here," Van said. "I plan to finish high school in Zaibach."  
  
"Excellent, Fanel-san," the teacher said. "Well, I'm glad someone is paying attention. Now let's continue…"  
  
For the rest of the period Dilandau concentrated on the new boy who had recently made the top of his hit list. *Van Fanel…* he thought, *I'm going to make you wish I was never born…*  
  
  
  
--Some Footnotes:  
  
[1]-This playground horror refers to when the Ryuugekitai hid like broken glass and rusty nails at a playground and injured many children. I meant to explain that somewhere in the story, but I didn't and I didn't feel like taking it out either. Sorry about that.  
  
[2]-Allen's career should be explained later. Don't know what chapter, but some time soon.  
  
  
  
--Next, Dilandau the Social Worker, Part Two: It's already written, so anyone who reads this the first day I post it, don't freak out. I'm planning to have part two typed up the next day. Anyway, Gatty finally relaxes himself, Celena meets the Ryuugekitai, and Dilandau "meets" someone very interesting… Onto part two (if it's there already)! ^_^ 


	5. Dilandau the Social Worker, Part Two

*Author's Notes: If anyone hasn't noticed already, I've been trying to make "Dilandau" the first word of each chapter. See, the next five chapters are about the other Ryuu and they all start off "Dilandau the…" Oh, I wanted to say to Fitz20 that I'm glad you enjoyed the first part (and umi and demonicangel). I hope you like this part too. Oh, and the reason Gatty's always so nervous on the first day is because of the first day of sixth grade where he was worried about what people would say. So, now he permanently is nervous about every school year that starts even though his family life has gotten better. Anyway, don't forget about the ART cards mentioned. They're really important in this chapter. For the record once again, I do not think that Celena is pretty; in fact, I think she's kinda ugly. I don't know, that's just me. For my purposes in this fic, I'm pretending she's very cute. I mean, she outta be if she the twin of someone so gorgeous, ne? And notice how before that Dilandau didn't show the Ryuugekitai Celena, nor did they remember what she looked like (Gatty and Shesta anyway). Why is that important? Read on and find out! ^_^  
  
  
  
Dilandau the Social Worker, Part Two  
  
"Hmm, wonder if Viole and Guimel got rid of all those ART cards," Miguel said. He looked at his watch. "I can be a little late for lunch. Dilandau probably will be late himself."  
  
A girl passed Miguel and he rushed up to move in front of her. "Whoa!" he said. "Where you going?"  
  
"To art class," the girl said. She frowned at him. "Get out of my way."  
  
Miguel laughed and waved a finger at her. "That's not very nice; all I did was ask you a question."  
  
"Yeah, and you're in my way too!" the girls said. She tried to get past him and failed. "Move!"  
  
"I'll be glad to," Miguel said. He snickered as he perfectly matched her movements to get away.  
  
"Well, then let me by!"  
  
"Got an ART card?"  
  
The girl took a step back. "You're…you're with those other guys?"  
  
"Yeah, but don't worry, there's only four more of us that you need to worry about," Miguel said. He grinned at her change from irritation to caution. "Dilandau especially."  
  
"I've heard of him," the girl admitted. She clutched the straps of her book bag. "Never met him though."  
  
"You just might," Miguel said, "unless you were smart enough to purchase one of our cards."  
  
The girl quickly pulled out her ART card from her pocket. "Here," she said, showing him it.  
  
"Lucky you," Miguel said. He politely stepped out of her way. "Go ahead."  
  
The girl gave him a look that fought between annoyance and concern for her safety. "Geez…" she said before continuing down the hall.  
  
"Being a Ryuu is ten thousand times better than what I used to be," Miguel said. He rubbed his hands together. "Let's see who else has an ART card or rather, who doesn't."  
  
Miguel set his grin upon a circle of girls. One of them he recognized to be in one of his classes last year. He figured she'd already made sure she was protected against the Ryuugekitai. However, he bet at least one of her friends didn't have one. Miguel hoped his hunch was right.  
  
"I just got my ART card," Ferra said, wiping her forehead. "I'm saved for the week."  
  
"Oh, no I didn't get mine," Liliana said, biting down on her finger. "They wouldn't get me on the first day, right?"  
  
"I don't know," Terry said. She sighed and pushed her glasses back up her nose. "Those guys are ruthless jerks."  
  
"What's an art card?" Celena asked. She was the only one who was facing Miguel's approaching direction, but of course she didn't pay him any attention. "A pass for the art club?"  
  
"Are you kidding??" Liliana said.  
  
"That's right, you're new here, Celena," Terry said. "Good thing we're here to tell you what's up."  
  
"Yeah," Ferra agreed. She put on a hand on Celena's shoulder. "It's not an 'art' card, it's an 'A-R-T' card."  
  
Celena blinked. "An 'A-R-T' card?"  
  
"It stands for 'Anti-Ryuu-Target,'" Ferra explained. "The Ryuugekitai issue them out every week."  
  
"And if you don't have one, they make you one of their targets!" Liliana said, finally giving the finger she had been biting on a break. "They cost like ten bucks at the minimum."  
  
"God, I didn't know it was so bad here…" Celena said. "How come the principal doesn't take care of these guys?"  
  
"No way," Liliana said, tossing her blonde hair. "They have power over him."  
  
"Power over him??" Celena repeated. *My God, what kind of school is this?* she wondered. *Was it a big mistake to come here?*  
  
"But don't worry; the Ryuugekitai will usually leave you alone if you have an ART card--" Ferra began to add.  
  
"That's right," Miguel said, having finally approached the girls. He relished the girls' timorous expressions. "So who here has an ART card to show me?"  
  
Ferra and Terry showed their cards and Liliana stepped in front of Celena before Miguel was finished looking over her two friends' cards. "We don't have one, but we promise to get one by tomorrow," Liliana said.  
  
*Yes! I knew one of them wouldn't have one!* Miguel thought. *Now I can have some fun…*  
  
"Heh, you two are very unlucky," he said. He put a hand in his pocket. "It's kinda like drawing your name out of a lottery for being stoned to death [1]."  
  
Miguel moved Terry and Ferra out of the way so he could step closer to Liliana. Celena, hidden by her friend, held onto Liliana's back for safety. She had a bad feeling about the boy, something akin to the feeling she experienced during her conversation with Dilandau. Ferra waved her hand to indicate they should run, while Terry made an indication she'd impede Miguel.  
  
"We're gonna have to run for it, Cel," Liliana whispered. "If we go now, Miguel might forget our faces by tomorrow."  
  
"What will he do to us?" Celena whispered back.  
  
"Don't wanna find out."  
  
"So what's the excuse?" Miguel asked. "Why no cards, ladies?"  
  
*As if you really care,* Liliana thought. "Gomen, gomen," Liliana said, grinning nervously. "We'll buy one now."  
  
Miguel and shook his head. "I don't have any to sell," he said. He narrowed his bright, brown eyes. "Guess I'll have to teach you two a lesson."  
  
"Matte! Can't we just give you the money to pay for one without the card??" Ferra said, trying to distract Miguel.  
  
"I'm done with you two," Miguel said, shooing them away with his hand.  
  
"Demo--" Terry began.  
  
"You want me to rip up your cards and make you all targets of the Ryuugekitai?" Miguel said.  
  
Terry and Ferra exchanged glances with each other then looked to Liliana. Liliana nodded and the two went off after apologizing. Celena began to pull on her friend's back while she walked backwards.  
  
"Let's just run now," Celena whispered. "Any time's as good as now."  
  
"Okay…" Liliana said, watching Miguel carefully.  
  
Miguel noticed their gradual retreat and grinned. "Where do you think you two are going?" he said. "I wouldn't run if I were you."  
  
"Well, you're not us," Liliana said. "Cel, run and don't look back-- we can loose him in the crowds of people!" With that Liliana turned and pushed Celena forward to indicate she should run.  
  
"Man, this is fun," Miguel said, taking after the two girls. *One with long strawberry blonde hair and the other with wavy light brown hair,* he thought. *Hmm…the blonde's a bit faster than the other. I might loose her. Oh, well. As long as I get one of them.*  
  
Celena tried her best to follow Liliana, but she wasn't as used to maneuvering between students in the hall. Her old school only had about five hundred students while Zaibach High had about five times as many. Soon she was a good distance between Liliana and a bit confused where she was. It was a lunch period, so Celena figured if she went out into the courtyard, there would be enough kids around to prevent Miguel from doing anything to her. However, as she ran out, she noticed there were few students out there.  
  
*Oh, yeah,* Celena thought, turning back to the doors she just went out of, *the bell hasn't even rang yet; it might be a while until the courtyard fills up.*  
  
Celena jumped back from the door when she nearly bumped into Miguel. She hadn't gotten a good look at him before, but she knew he was the one she was running from. Celena wondered if anyone would help her; she had the impression that the Ryuugekitai were pretty powerful.  
  
Miguel drew in a breath. "You're not that good at running away," he said, taking a good look at his target. *Wow, she's a really cute girl! Kinda familiar too…*  
  
"Have I seen you before?" Miguel asked. He suppressed a laugh at her confused look. "I mean, before today, of course."  
  
"No…I'm new here…" Celena said, wondering what the look in his eyes was for.  
  
"Oh, a freshman?" Miguel said. His grin was like that of a shark's or at least in Celena's eyes it was.  
  
"Iie, I'm a sophomore," Celena said, her eyes darting around for anyone who could help her or distract him. "I…I transferred…from AP."  
  
*Gets better and better,* Miguel thought. *Maybe I'll skip lunch all together…*  
  
"Ah, I'm so sorry," Miguel said, trying his best to sound as if he were. "I didn't know you were new here. No one must have told you about us."  
  
Celena settled her eyes on the shark-boy. *Guess I'll have to stand my ground,* she thought. "Well, my friends were trying to tell me about the Ryuugekitai, but you scared them all off," she said.  
  
"Hey, leave it to me," Miguel said, pointing to himself. "I'll tell you everything you need to know."  
  
*Can't trust him,* Celena thought as the bell rang. *I know he's trouble just by looking at him.*  
  
"Miguel!" Dallet said as he came out the door behind him. He took in several breathes as if he had been running a long time. "I've been looking for you."  
  
"Not now, Dallet," Miguel said, trying to beckon him away. "I'm busy."  
  
Dallet went up to him as if he hadn't heard a word he said. "You know, I'm gonna find out what you said about me eventually so why don't you just go ahead and tell me?"  
  
"Later!" Miguel said. He glanced at Celena to make sure she hadn't moved. She hadn't, so he flashed her his charming smile.  
  
Dallet glared at him, but eventually he took notice of whom his friend was preoccupied with. He completely forgot his original intent when he did. *Ka…kawaii (cu…cute)! he thought, closing his mouth before he started drooling. *What's Miguel doing with such a cute girl??*  
  
"Hey, pretty girl," Dallet said, ignoring his friend now. "Whatcha doin' all by yourself?"  
  
Celena stared at the new boy with equal caution. *Miguel said his name was Dallet,* she thought. *I doubt one of these Ryuugekitai would be so "friendly" with a non-member, so it's a good guess Dallet's one of the Ryuugekitai too… What bad luck I have!*  
  
"Hey, back off!" Miguel said, pushing Dallet aside. "I saw this girl first; go womanize someone else, pretty boy."  
  
"Heh," Dallet said. *No way I'm letting Miguel get this girl,* he thought. *She's the cutest thing I've seen in a while.* "Just because you only get a girl as about as often as the sky is polka-dotted doesn't mean I'm going to ignore such a cute girl."  
  
"Kisama (You [very rude])…" Miguel said, balling up his fists.  
  
Celena blushed. *I've got to get out of here,* she thought. *I don't need crazy guys like this trying to hit on me!*  
  
Fortunately for Celena, Shesta had been looking for the majority of the Ryuugekitai. Dilandau had called him up on his cell phone and told him to have everyone gathered at their table by the time he arrived. Important Ryuugekitai business would be discussed. Shesta had sent Viole and Guimel to secure their table while he looked for the other three. Now Shesta had found Dallet and Miguel.  
  
"Oi, you two!" Shesta said, poking his head out the courtyard door. "All Ryuu need to be at our table immediately! It's important!"  
  
The two turned their attention upon Shesta. "Did he say what it was about?" Dallet asked.  
  
"It's a new vendetta; one of his personal vendettas."  
  
"Whoa!" Miguel said, expressing verbally what Dallet was expressing in his face. "That is important!" He waved to Celena. "Later, ojouchan (young lady)! [2]"  
  
Dallet winked at Celena before following Miguel. "See ya, pretty girl."  
  
Shesta glared at Miguel and Dallet as they finally came back into the school. "You guys were wasting time over some little girl?" he asked. "Typical."  
  
"Hey, go take a quick look, Shesta," Dallet suggested. "Even someone like you would be interested."  
  
"No time," Shesta said, giving Dallet a deadly look. "Dilandau-san wants us in the cafeteria now."  
  
"Shit, are we the last?" Dallet asked nervously.  
  
"Iie, Gatty's still missing."  
  
"Ha, lucky us," Miguel said. He pointed at Dallet as he headed down the hall. "Like I said before, Dallet; I saw that girl first."  
  
"Ha! Whatever!" Dallet said, walking after him.  
  
Shesta rolled his eyes and went to check another hall for Gatty. Celena, still standing in the courtyard just to be safe, let out a breath. Someone above must have liked her; she had escaped two of the Ryuugekitai, even three (she guessed the boy who had "saved" her was also a Ryuu).  
  
"If getting an ART card will keep those guys from me, I'm getting one as soon as possible," Celena said. She headed in the direction of the other entrance in the school at the other end of the courtyard.  
  
*******  
  
Gatty stepped out of a closet, quickly trying to buckle his belt again. He didn't mind his half-buttoned shirt, figuring he could take care of that while he walked to the cafeteria. He hadn't planned on taking a trip to the closet during the two periods he had skipped with Mimi, but somehow Dilandau's previous suggestion became more of a command than some advice. Still, Gatty felt jittery. He sighed as he pulled his belt through the loop and tapped two fingers against his lips.  
  
"That was a good distraction," Gatty said, "but it only lasted for that moment; now I feel the same again."  
  
Gatty had just began to button up the rest of his shirt when he heard familiar laughter. He stopped and faced Dilandau whose eyes seemed to know all that Gatty had done. He hoped his leader wasn't angry with him for missing two classes; Dilandau only allowed the Ryuugekitai to skip when he said it was all right (due to Guimel's previous problem with skipping).  
  
"I like seeing when people take my advice," Dilandau said, walking to his side. He smirked at Gatty's tiny smile. "Dou (Well)?"  
  
"I need a smoke--badly," Gatty said, continuing to button up his shirt. "That little tip of yours can only relax me as long as it lasted."  
  
"Hmph, naru hodo," Dilandau said. He closed his eyes as if offended and reached into his pocket. However, he grinned and opened his eyes again as he pulled a cigarette from it.  
  
Gatty's eyes widened. "When did you--"  
  
"Easy to get. Knew you'd want it." Dilandau handed it to him.  
  
"Demo, I didn't even bring my lighter…" Gatty said. Regardless of his words, he put the cigarette into his mouth.  
  
Dilandau snorted and took out his lighter, though he wasn't big on cigarettes himself. "Yet still you put that into your mouth," he said. He flicked the lighter on and lit the end of Gatty's cigarette.  
  
"I am trying to quit, you know," Gatty said. He took a moment to puff on the cigarette. He smiled and drew out some smoke from his mouth slowly. "Really I am."  
  
"There's nothing that a good beating won't cure," Dilandau said. He grinned and began flicking his lighter on and off. "Ne, Gatty?"  
  
Gatty tried not to think about Dilandau needing to beat him until he gave up his smoking habit, but of course Dilandau would only resort to that if Gatty's problem became Dilandau's problem. Dilandau was an expert at solving problems by the means of violence. It had solved many of Gatty's problems anyhow.  
  
"Worked on my dad." Gatty shrugged. "Now I'll never have to worry about him stopping me from Ryuugekitai business."  
  
"Aa," Dilandau said, entranced by the beautiful flame in front of him. "If he intruded in our business, you'd take him to court for what he did."  
  
Gatty nodded, but he knew Dilandau wasn't paying attention. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his head. He suddenly had a flash of part of Dilandau's birthday celebration. The Ryuugekitai leader had set someone's bushes on fire (sixteen in all) to mock birthday candles. However, Dilandau hadn't tried to blow out his "candles." He stood for a long time watching the burning shrubbery with glee and chanting "moero, moero" several times.  
  
"Ano…Dilandau-san?" Gatty said. He wiped away the sweat when Dilandau met eyes with him again. "Going to lunch now?"  
  
"Oh? Ready to join us at school again?" Dilandau asked. He put his lighter back into his pocket.  
  
"Uh…I was--"  
  
"Daijoubu, daijoubu," Dilandau laughed. "I'll excuse you today. Demo, none of this edgy shit tomorrow--wakatta yo (understand)?"  
  
"Uhn." Gatty exhaled smoke again. "My dad should be buying me a carton today."  
  
"Sou ka." Dilandau changed his "friendly" expression into a serious one. "I have important business to discuss with everyone today."  
  
"Nani sore?" Gatty asked. He removed his cigarette from his mouth for a while.  
  
"Well, it's about--"  
  
"No smoking on campus!" a rough voice said.  
  
"Ee?" Gatty said before his cigarette was snatched from his fingers. His brows lowered at the dark-haired man before them.  
  
"Schezar and his cronies at their old tricks again," the man said. He sneered at them as he crushed the cigarette in his hand.[3]  
  
"Onore (Why you)…" Gatty said. He took a step forward before Dilandau's arm went in front of him. "Dilandau-san?"  
  
"Ogenki desu ka (How are you), Aldelphos-kouchou (Principal Adelphos) [4]?" Dilandau said with his trademark false respect. "Have a good summer?"  
  
"Cut your BS, Schezar," Adelphos said. He dusted off his hand. "I've already seen several kids with those ART cards. I'm not letting you get your way this year! Things are gonna change!"  
  
Gatty wiped his face. "Didn't fix that spitting problem, I see," he muttered.  
  
Dilandau laughed. "Masaka," he said. "Nothing's going to change this year. It'll be exactly like last year--only better."  
  
"I'm going to wait for the chance to get rid of you, Schezar," Adelphos said, glaring at the both of them. "Then your little friends will drop like flies. Now get to class before I decide to give you both detention for roaming the halls and smoking on campus!"  
  
"Whatever," Dilandau laughed. "Let's go, Gatty."  
  
"Che (Shit)," Gatty said before the two of them passed the principal. When they were a good distance from him, he began to speak again. "Who does he think he is? Doesn't he remember how we blackmailed him all last year??"  
  
"He's just a washed-up, bitter old man," Dilandau said. He rubbed his bottom lip, curved into a grin. "Let him try to mess with us--we'll put him in his place again."  
  
Gatty joined him in his grin, but stopped as Dilandau suddenly stopped walking. "Dilandau-san?" he asked.  
  
"Go ahead to the cafeteria, I'll be there soon," Dilandau said. "I need to have some important phone calls made later, and I left the numbers in my locker."  
  
"Uh, hai," Gatty said.  
  
Besides the little incident with a new enemy Dilandau had gained, he was having a pretty good day. He'd take care of Van Fanel in no time. It only took him a minute to get to his locker after he had sent Gatty ahead of him.  
  
Dilandau smiled at the list. "Hmph, Shesta should be able to get something by contacting these people," he said to himself. "Yoshi--onto the cafeteria…" He closed his locker and headed down the empty hallway.  
  
*I guess school can be fun,* Dilandau thought as he went by classrooms full of students and rows of lockers. *Any place where I can gain a position of power and make people's lives hell is my kind of fun.* He chuckled to himself.  
  
"Konnichi wa, Dilandau-kun."  
  
Dilandau stopped in the hall with a look of awe for two reasons. One, someone had addressed him so informally at school--even his friends weren't to call him that. Two, the voice was strangely familiar, but Dilandau wasn't sure who it belonged to. He slowly turned behind him to see a girl with golden brown hair walking in the opposite direction he had been walking. Dilandau then realized the girl had passed him in the hall without him realizing.  
  
"When did she--" Dilandau shook his head. *No, I'm not going crazy,* he thought. *I just didn't see her when she passed. Wait a minute- -I have to see who that is!*  
  
"Matte!" Dilandau said. The girl didn't stop or slow down and he began to run after her. "I said 'matte!'"  
  
The girl slowly faced him just as Dilandau caught up with her. He drew a quick breath in as he saw her face. Her genial smile, the emerald, water-like eyes--so familiar to him. Dilandau's dream flashed before his eyes. The girl smiled at him in the same way the little girl in his dream had. Dilandau stared at her as if she were a ghost.  
  
"Omae wa (You are)…" Dilandau murmured. *She…she can't be that girl from my dream,* he thought. *I just imagined her when I was younger!*  
  
"It's good to see you again, Dilandau-kun," the girl said. She smiled again. "Well, I'll let you go on to the cafeteria. Ja ne."  
  
Dilandau was frozen in astonishment, unable to follow her as she began to walk off again. *No…* he thought. *She can't be that girl. Shikashi…she does look like her and she knows my name!*  
  
As Dilandau began to frown, he was able to get over his shock and move. "I can't let her disappear again," he said to himself. He went after her just as she rounded a corner and went out of his sight. "I have to know who that is!"  
  
*******  
  
"Hmm…Dilandau-san is taking a while…" Shesta noted at their rounded table. He looked at Gatty. "He said he was just going to his locker, right?"  
  
"Uhn," Gatty said. He eyed Dallet and Miguel quietly discussing something that looked serious. "What's with you two?"  
  
"Um, nothing…" Dallet said, grinning at Miguel.  
  
"Yeah, just some stupid stuff," Miguel said, waving a hand.  
  
"I figured that," Viole said. "Man, I'm hungry--Dilandau-san needs to hurry up."  
  
Miguel lowered his voice. "If any one else finds out about that cute girl, they might try to snatch her up too," he said to Dallet. "It's bad enough you're trying to compete with me."  
  
"I'm better looking than you are," Dallet boasted. "You might as well step aside."  
  
"Whatever. You just look like a fag."  
  
"What did you say??"  
  
"They're freaks," Guimel said as Dallet and Miguel began to bicker. "Those two are always under someone's skin."  
  
"Tell me about it," Gatty said. He coughed a few times.  
  
"Been smoking, Gatty?" Shesta asked. He smiled when Gatty frowned at him. "Thought you were trying to quit."  
  
"Urasai," Gatty said. He rose from the table. "I swear if I hear someone say that one more time…" Viole and Guimel laughed, Dallet and Miguel still concentrated on each other.  
  
"Where are you going?" Shesta asked, noticing Gatty was walking away.  
  
"To get a drink; I'll be back."  
  
Gatty was feeling more like himself by now; he guessed it was his short, but sweet smoking session. That and seeing his "therapist" again. When Gatty thought of it, Dilandau kept him calm and at the same time nervous. It was a little like there were two Dilandaus: one that kept him in line and made sure he was doing the "right" things, and one that was more like a cruel all-powerful dictator.  
  
The two halves of the cafeteria were joined by the area where food could be purchased, including snacks and sodas. The left seating area was were the Ryuugekitai always convened, as well as other people who could handle their kind of company. The "good" kids sat on the other side, either too scared to sit on the left side or too disgusted with the Ryuugekitai to set one foot over there. Of course, several people chose to eat out in the courtyard where they could sit at picnic tables.  
  
Gatty crossed into the "peace zone" and smirked at the number of students who scattered when they recognized him. "I feel so loved," he said as he stepped up to a soda machine. A girl was ahead of him, but obviously she wasn't aware a Ryuu was behind her.  
  
Gatty smiled and guessed the girl was a freshman. While he waited for her to be finished, he took the time to check her out. He didn't usually do things like that, but his little rendezvous with Mimi had his hormones going. She had nice beige hair that waved down to the back of her neck. Gatty's smile expanded and he took a look at the rest of her. He assumed she was one of the preps by her fuzzy pink sweater and matching flower-print skirt. It only showed part of her ankles that were laced with the pink straps of her sandals. Gatty might have been turned off by such "cute" attire, but either he was just in the mood or it was actually appealing. Since Gatty had been distracted enough to not notice the girl had been taking a long time, he supposed it wasn't just his hormones acting crazy.  
  
"Oh, I hate when machines take my money…" the girl sighed. She began looking through her purse. "Shoot, I don't have any ones or change left…"  
  
*Voice is kinda familiar,* Gatty thought. *Hmm, maybe I'll be nice today. Gotta let some people think we Ryuus have some good qualities.*  
  
"Hey, don't worry about it," Gatty said. He went above the girl and slipped a dollar bill into the machine. "It's on me."  
  
As the girl timidly thanked him he turned and took a look at her face. His surprise had nothing to do with her looks (though he found her very pleasing to look at) but was due to the déjà vu he experienced. He knew her face, had seen her marble blue eyes somewhere before. He couldn't place it, but he figured she must have been someone he had seen around last year.  
  
Gatty watched her as she selected and drink and took her can of soda. "Did we have a class together last year or something?" he asked. "I feel like I know you."  
  
The girl shook her head. "Masaka (It can't be)," she said. "Um, I'm new at the school…just transferred from Asturia Prep actually…"  
  
"Oh," Gatty said, shrugging. *Guess she just looks like someone I know,* he thought. *If I could think of who I'd probably remember where I've seen her before. Shikashi, she's cute--cuter than Mimi anyway. Maybe I outta add another girl to my list…*  
  
"Um, here's your change," the girl said. She held up two quarters to him.  
  
"Oh, yeah, thanks," Gatty said, slipping the coins into his pocket. He smiled at the girl, causing her to blush.  
  
"Well, um…bye, I guess," she said.  
  
"O…oi…" Gatty said as she went away as if scared off. She glanced back at him shyly before disappearing into the mass of students on the right side.  
  
Gatty shrugged and looked back at the soda machine. "I'll run into her again," he said. "I'll ask for her name then."  
  
*******  
  
Dilandau had been running around the halls for a while. He wouldn't accept the girl had disappeared into thin air again. He would find her even if it killed him. Forget dealing with the annoying Van Fanel (for the moment anyway). Dilandau wouldn't believe he was imagining the girl this time.  
  
"Kuso! Ano onna wa doko (Where is that girl)?" Dilandau drew in a breath and shoved open the double doors that led out into the courtyard.  
  
His red eyes went around rapidly, ignoring anyone who wasn't the person he sought. He let out a frustrated sigh as he saw no trace of her and began to head back inside. However, he caught sight of a lone bench at a relatively empty section of a the courtyard. Dilandau raised a brow and viewed the girl sitting at the bench. For a moment he thought he was going crazy because he could have sworn she nor the bench had been there a second ago. Dilandau made sure he kept his eyes on her as he approached her bench.  
  
The girl was looking straight up at the sky, her eyes reflecting the sunlight in the same manner that water did. Dilandau couldn't help staring at her once again; she had the essence of a ghost, a spirit, or some figment of his imagination. Finally he was able to snap himself out of it and put his frown back into place. He would get to the bottom of the mystery the girl presented.  
  
"Omae… I want to know how you know my name," Dilandau demanded.  
  
The girl slowly brought her head down and smiled at Dilandau's grouchy face, giving him trouble keeping such a vicious countenance. "We met a long time ago, Dilandau-kun," she said. "I know you haven't forgotten the time we played together. You lent me your shovel and suggested I dig a hole."  
  
Dilandau began breathing hard. "You're…you're real?" he asked. He began to reach out for her as if she was merely an apparition and would fade away any moment. However, he stopped himself and snatched his hand back. "Dare da (Who are you)?"  
  
"Kanzaki Hitomi," Hitomi said, extending her hand. "Nice to meet you…again." She laughed shortly in a melodious voice that placated Dilandau's temper.  
  
"Kanzaki…Hitomi…" Dilandau repeated. He looked at her hand and gradually shook it. *She is real,* he thought. *The girl in my dream exists! Shikashi…why is she here now?*  
  
"Why are you--" Dilandau started as he let go of her hand. He cut himself off as she suddenly turned her head with a surprised expression. "Doushita?"  
  
"Van."  
  
"Fanel?? Doko da (Where is he)?" Dilandau searched the courtyard for the sight of his new foe. However, he found no trace of him. He frowned and wondered if she were just rambling about something or if Van had simply ran away before Dilandau saw him.  
  
"I don't see--" Dilandau stopped again and nearly gasped at the empty bench. "Kietta (Disappeared)…"  
  
Dilandau stared for a long time at the void where Hitomi should have been. "What's going on?" he murmured. He curled his fingers into a fist. *Well, whatever is going on…* he thought, *Fanel is involved. He is definitely a problem for me…*  
  
*******  
  
"Gatty, something good happen or something?" Guimel asked. "You've been smiling ever since you got back."  
  
Gatty set his can back down on the table. "Uh, betsu ni (not really)…" he said. "I'm just a bit grateful for the time off from Dilandau- san. You know, we're always at his beck and call, day and night. At school we get a little freedom."  
  
"It's strange Dilandau-san's taking so long though," Shesta said.  
  
"Yeah, I'm starving!" Viole said. He sighed. "I wish he'd let us go ahead and eat if he's gonna take his sweet time."  
  
"Let Dilandau-san hear you," Shesta said. He and the others laughed when Viole made sure Dilandau wasn't around. "Well, I'll get you a bag of chips to tide you over until Dilandau-san shows up."  
  
"He…he won't mind that?" Viole asked.  
  
Shesta shrugged. "We'll just say you had to have something. I'll take the blame if he gets angry."  
  
"Hell, then I'll have some chips too," Miguel said.  
  
Shesta rolled his eyes. "Gee, anyone else?"  
  
"Me," Guimel said.  
  
"Me too," Dallet said.  
  
"And you, Gatty?"  
  
"I'm fine," Gatty said. He smirked and spoke lowly. "I'm not hungry for food right now."  
  
"What was that?" Shesta said. He had heard something about "hungry," but that was it.  
  
"Nanimo nai (Nothing)."  
  
"Hen no yatsu (Weird guy)," Shesta muttered.  
  
*******  
  
"Celena, daijoubu?" Liliana asked. "You've been staring at your soda can for a while."  
  
"Ee?" Celena glanced up and blushed. "Iie…nanimo nai."  
  
"You're not mad because I left you to get caught by Miguel and Dallet, are you?"  
  
"Man, what bad luck," Terry said. She pulled at the cheese on her pizza. "It's rare to bump into two Ryuugekitai, unless it's Viole and Guimel. Those two usually appear together, especially when issuing out ART cards."  
  
"No, no, it's not that…" Celena said. She ran her finger around the top of her can. "Well, this guy brought this soda for me… I just thought that was really nice."  
  
"Was he cute?" Liliana asked.  
  
"He probably just wanted something from you," Terry said. She tore off a piece of cheese and popped it into her mouth. "And it ain't homework."  
  
"Hmm…" Ferra said, "if he was cute he might be a playboy. Demo, he could have really liked Celena or maybe he was just a nice guy with extra money."  
  
"Either way, it rocks," Liliana said. She gave Celena a thumbs up. "That's the way to go; flash a guy a pretty smile and get free stuff. Yep, that's for me."  
  
"So you're considering a profession in prostitution, right?" Terry asked. She and Ferra laughed while Liliana turned red.  
  
"But I didn't do anything," Celena said, hoping none of them would notice her uneasiness about Terry's joke. "I just stood there."  
  
"Guess he checked you out and thought you were cute then," Ferra concluded. She winked at her. "Maybe you got a love interest, Celena."  
  
Celena was bright red by the time her friends finished laughing at her. "Well, he was better than those Ryuugekitai guys leering at me," she said. "They acted like I was the roasted turkey at Thanksgiving everyone had been waiting for."  
  
"Yes, they're all pigs," Terry said. She massaged her forehead. "Yet, several girls drool over them, especially Di--"  
  
"Oh, man!" Ferra said. She pointed at her lunch as her friends stared at her. "I forgot my chips; Celena, would you get me some?"  
  
"Uh, hai," Celena said as Ferra handed her the money.  
  
Ferra waved to Celena's retreating back. "Arigatou!"  
  
"Hey, did you purposely get rid of her?" Liliana wondered.  
  
"Mochiron," Ferra said.  
  
"Doushite?" Terry asked.  
  
"Celena has no idea her brother is the most feared person at this school," Ferra said. "I don't think we should be the ones to tell her that. It'd probably be a real shock if it's been this long and she still hasn't figured that out yet."  
  
Liliana shivered. "I can't believe she lives in the same house as him. She's so nice and he's…he's…"  
  
"The devil," Terry finished. She let out a breath. "I guess it's better if she doesn't find out now and make some kind of scene. It'd probably be better if she handled that at home."  
  
"Yeah…" Liliana agreed.  
  
"Okay, so we don't bring up Dilandau unless she does and we certainly don't blab he's the leader of the Ryuugekitai."  
  
"What if someone else says so?" Liliana asked.  
  
Ferra waved her hand. "Well, Dilandau hardly does any of the dirty work around here," she said. "Yeah, his name comes up, but when people talk about the Ryuugekitai, it's usually just the other six…"  
  
"Sou ne." Terry pulled some more cheese from her pizza.  
  
"Okay, no more Ryuugekitai talk!" Ferra said, smiling. The other two agreed completely.  
  
*******  
  
"I can't believe this!" Celena said. She hit the machine, hoping the bag of chips would fall. "Come on!" *Why do I have such bad luck?* she wondered.  
  
Celena sighed and rested her head against the machine. "I must be a jinx," she muttered.  
  
"Hey, I'll help you out," a slightly familiar voice said.  
  
A blonde boy came up to the machine and shook it easily. He had blue gentle eyes, not unlike her own, and a friendly face to go along with it. The stuck bag of chips fell down after a few shakes of the machine and the boy released the great metal box.  
  
"I hate when that happens," he said. He smiled and bent down to retrieve her chips. "Hai (Here)."  
  
"A…Arigatou…" Celena said, feeling heat in her cheeks.  
  
The boy tilted his head at her. "Do I know you?" he asked. "Your face is kinda familiar."  
  
*Do I have a twin running around?* she thought. She smiled and shook her head. *Of course, I do. I often forget Dilandau's my twin…though we look little alike now…*  
  
"No, this is my first year here at Zaibach High," Celena said. "I went to Asturia Preparatory School last year."  
  
"Oh, really?" the boy said. "I'm thinking about sending my brother and sister there when they start middle school. Is it a good school?"  
  
"Yeah, it's great," Celena said. "I would have stayed through high school too, but… Well, I thought it was time to join the rest of the teenage population here."  
  
"Sou ka," the boy said. "I wouldn't want my siblings to go here or Zaibach Middle."  
  
"Doushite?"  
  
The boy blinked. "Oh, yeah, you're new here," he said. He chuckled and started putting money into the machine.  
  
Celena raised a brow, expecting him to elaborate, but he didn't. He simply continued to get four bags of chips. "Those all yours?" she asked.  
  
"Iie," the boy said, bundling into his arm. He futilely tried to catch one as it dropped. "Shoot."  
  
Celena bent down to get the bag and then handed it to him. "Hai," she said.  
  
"Uh, arigatou," the boy said. He seemed to be a bit embarrassed. "Well, I'm sure I'll see you around--ja!"  
  
"Hey…" Celena watched him head to the left side of the cafeteria. "He seemed nice… Wish I had gotten his name…"  
  
*******  
  
Shesta had just distributed the chips when Dilandau entered the cafeteria. A few people shouted to him but he didn't pay any mind. The Ryuugekitai thought Dilandau was upset at them, but he didn't even look at his friends. He just sat in his seat, staring off into space. The six exchanged glances, thinking it was the second time he had done that today.  
  
"Is he sick?" Viole whispered.  
  
"Maybe he's really, really angry," Miguel said at the same level of tone. "You know how he gets."  
  
"Sou," Dallet agreed.  
  
"Speak to him, Gatty," Guimel urged.  
  
"Me? Naze?" Gatty said. He was surprised Dilandau hadn't acted like he had heard them because even their whispers were relatively loud.  
  
"He won't hit you."  
  
"Yeah, right."  
  
"I'll…do it…" Shesta said. He sighed. "Dilandau-san?"  
  
Dilandau put a hand on the table. "I saw her," he said. "I did."  
  
"Saw who?" Gatty said.  
  
"The…the girl in my dream," Dilandau said as if it was obvious. He frowned a little when his friends stared at him as if he was wearing a pink dress. "Nan da?"  
  
"What in the world are you talking about?" Shesta asked.  
  
"What…girl?" Miguel asked.  
  
Dilandau shook his head. *Shit, what the hell am I doing?* he thought. *Everyone's gonna think I'm crazy. Damn…because of this girl I'm losing a bit of my mind.*  
  
"Never mind," Dilandau said. He regained his composure. "We have important business to discuss."  
  
"Which is?" Gatty said, wondering if Dilandau was really back to his senses.  
  
"Van Fanel." He handed Shesta a list of numbers. "I want you to call these people and tell them to get me everything they can on this boy."  
  
The Ryuugekitai began to discuss their new target, soon forgetting about Dilandau's weird mutterings a second ago. Dilandau explained the incident during his second period class and gabe a few suggestions of what he wanted done about the nuisance. However, even though Dilandau seemed to be engaged in the conversation, his mind was still on Hitomi.  
  
*Where did she go?* Dilandau thought. *And was does Fanel have to do with it?*  
  
*******  
  
"There they are," Liliana said, spotting Viole and Guimel before the last period began. "Come on, Celena. They probably have some left to sell."  
  
"U-Uhn," Celena said, closely following her friend.  
  
"Hey, this is gonna be great," Viole was saying to Guimel before Liliana spoke.  
  
"Yeah," Guimel agreed.  
  
"A…Ano…" Liliana said with a fidgety smile.  
  
"Hey, some girls," Guimel said. He took more notice of Celena than Liliana. "What can we do for you?'  
  
"Yeah, we're here to help," Viole said also taking notice of Celena. He smirked to Guimel.  
  
"We just wanna buy our ART cards for this week," Liliana said.  
  
"Good idea," Guimel said. He took two cards from his shirt pocket. "You two must be very smart to come to us first."  
  
"Yeah," Viole agreed. He took Liliana's money and then Celena's. Celena moved behind Liliana as if Viole might bite her like a poisonous snake.  
  
Guimel handed Liliana the cards and pointed to Celena behind her. "Your friend's a little shy, ne?"  
  
"Yeah, so we better be going," Liliana said. She began leading Celena by her shoulder.  
  
"Hey, cutie, what's the rush?" Viole called after Celena. He snickered afterwards.  
  
"Just keep walking," Liliana instructed, preventing Celena from turning back. "They're just messing with us."  
  
"Do we know her?" Guimel asked. He put a hand to her chin. "I'd think I'd remember a girl like that though."  
  
"Yeah, that's the type of girl I like," Viole said. He put the money into his pocket.  
  
"The type that'll run away from you in terror?" Viole just laughed and Guimel grinned at him. *I like that kind of girl too,* he thought. *Her hair reminded me a bit of the wavy lines left in the sand at the beach… [5]*  
  
*******  
  
"Ah, time to go home," Gatty said more happily than he would had it been about four years ago. A hand went on his shoulder and he turned behind him in the parking lot. "Dilandau-san?"  
  
"You got yourself together now?" Dilandau asked.  
  
"Hai, Dilandau-san," Gatty said. He grinned. "There should be a carton of cigarettes waiting for me at home."  
  
Dilandau rolled his eyes. "Ii ka (Whatever)," he said. "As long as I don't have to waste time kicking your ass tomorrow for being inept."  
  
"No, you won't." Gatty wiped his forehead. *I know he'll make good on that promise,* he thought.  
  
"Well, the Ryuugekitai is off tonight," Dilandau said since the others were around and able to hear his announcements. "So enjoy it."  
  
*Not gonna question what that's about,* Gatty thought. "All right, ja, Dilandau-san," he said.  
  
Dilandau rose his hand in a wave as he went to his car. Gatty smiled and took the few steps to his own car. He guessed he could be doing "better" things with his time than following Dilandau's orders for however long Dilandau gave them, but he really had no desire to change his current situation.  
  
*This car, the money I have, my life--* Gatty thought as he unlocked the car, *I owe it all to Dilandau. He maybe the "the devil," but I'd rather be serving him than having a really crappy life. People just don't understand how good we Ryuugekitai really have it.*  
  
  
  
--Some Footnotes:  
  
[1]-Sort of a reference to "The Lottery," if anyone's familiar with that story. Don't know why, but I kinda thought about the ART cards like that since the Ryuugekitai can't possible have enough for everyone at school.  
  
[2]-Said mostly to young women and I think it's a polite thing to say. If anyone ever seen Rurouni Kenshin, Sanosuke calls Kaoru that all the time. They usually translate it as "missie," but I'm sure it can be translated some other ways. I just like the way that word sounds. ^_^  
  
[3]-Yeah, I know that should hurt the guy, but this man has no feelings, trust me.  
  
[4]-Why him? One, I didn't like him because he called Dilandau a monster when he was ill (or something like that) and plus you don't see him very much in the series and you won't in this fic either. Don't worry too much if you don't like him being the principal.  
  
[5]-He's not being creative or anything; there's a specific reason he likens her hair to sand… which will be revealed in Guimel's chapter of his past.  
  
  
  
--Next Chapter: "Dilandau the Angel Slayer." If that doesn't give you clue to what it's gonna be about, then let me give you a more detailed preview. Learn about Shesta's problem and how Dilandau turned it around. Curious about the siblings Shesta mentioned? Get to see them at home and how Shesta interacts with them. Plus, see if Celena finally gets with the program and figures out just how terrible Dilandau is. Oh, and more involvement with Van and Hitomi! ^_^ Sorry, but I know this one will be a long while. I'm outta school now and that's where I did my writing. Maybe I'll stop writing on paper and start writing straight on the computer. Saa? Well, please tell me what you liked (or didn't like) about this chapter! 


	6. Dilandau the Angel Slayer, Part One

*Author's Notes: This chapter took a long time and I'm very sorry about that. I'm also sorry that this chapter didn't really turn out as well as I wanted it to. I just hope someone is pleased by my work because I did spend a good bit of time trying to get this chapter out. This part has all the flashbacks in it, so I hope no one gets confused. Thanks to all who reviewed last time and as always enjoy this long chapter! ^_^   
  


**Chapter Four: Dilandau the Angel Slayer, Part One**

  
  
  
  


"Oi, niichan (brother) [1]," William said as Shesta came out of the bathroom, "can we play together today like we did yesterday?" 

Shesta laughed while rubbing his damp hair with a towel. "Probably not, Will," he said. He smiled at his brother who pouted. "Hey, we'll do that again real soon, okay?" 

'Hai," William said. He frowned and shoved his hands into his pockets. 

Shesta rubbed his brother's blonde head and went toward the stairs. "Why don't you play with Livvy?" he suggested. 

"Aw, she's no fun, niichan," William said, following him down the stairs. "I wanna play with you; you're cool and fun." 

"Cool, huh?" Shesta repeated. He used his towel to wipe a little water off his bare chest before wrapping the cloth around his neck. 

"Uhn! I wanna be just like you when I'm in high school." 

Shesta looked back at William when they had fully descended the stairs. "I'm not so sure about that…" he said, noticing for the umpteenth time how much his brother looked like him. A couple of times Shesta had pretended to be William's father (lying in the process about his own age, as well as Will's) in order to get sympathy from some girls who thought Shesta had an ex-girlfriend who ran off after William was born and left the responsibility to him. Shesta was able to get William several free meals, toys, and discounts from that. 

"Why not?" William asked when Shesta had stopped looking at him. 

"Just trust me," Shesta said. He went into the kitchen where his sister was seated at the table. "Ohayou, Livvy-chan." 

Olivia looked up from the comics. "Ohayou, niichan!" she said. "Ne, ne--what's 'c-o-n-s-e-q-u-e-n-c-e-s' mean?" 

"Consequences?" Shesta said, sitting across from her. "Hmm, they're like what happens after you do something You know, like if you ride you bike on bumpy road, the consequences are the bike will shake a lot." 

"Sou ka (I see)," Olivia said. She went on reading, mouthing the words as her eyes scanned them. 

"Shesta, did you have a nice time last night?" His mother, who had been busy trying to reach something from a high cupboard, finally turned to her son. 

"A…Aa…" Shesta said, turning red. 

"Ee?? You went somewhere without me??" William said, sitting next to his brother. "No fair!" 

"You were asleep, Will," Shesta said. "Besides, Gatty and I stayed out way past your bed time." 

"I haven't seen your little friends in a while," Shesta's mother noted. She smiled and placed a plate in front of each one of her children. "You should invite them over soon." 

"Don't think that's such a good idea, kaasan," Shesta said. 

"They're all such nice boys, especially Dilandau," his mother went on as if not hearing him. 

"Oh, yes, Dilandau's the nicest of us all," Shesta said. _I don't think I'll ever understand why she's so taken with Dilandau,_ he thought. _Even when I first met him I knew he was a scary person…_   
  
*****   
  


Shesta watched his two "favorite" classmates laugh in triumph as they finally got their hands on his lunch. Shesta always sat at a table by himself, so there was plenty of room for the two boys to sit with him as they seized his property. Shesta usually was pissed off at them, but today he was hoping his plan would solve his little lunch problem. 

"Another yummy lunch made by Mommy, huh?" Moron One (as Shesta thought of him) said. He yanked out Shesta's sandwich from the bag and cracked up. 

"Aw, a ham sandwich with no crust," Moron Two said. "Gosh, it just looks _so_ good." 

"Give it back," Shesta said evenly. 

Moron One gave half of the sandwich to his buddy. "Aw, sorry, Shesta," he said. "There's only enough for two." As the morons laughed, Shesta veiled his smile. 

_Laugh while you can,_ Shesta thought. 

"Zan'nen da (Too bad), no lunch for you again," Moron Two said, bringing the sandwich up to his mouth. Moron One nodded and did the same as Moron Two. 

The two boys stuffed the sandwich in their mouths and chewed them like animals. Their full-mouthed chuckles came to a abrupt stop when they both experienced a sudden burning sensation in their mouths. The morons jumped up and spat the sandwich out of their mouths, screaming about how hot it was. Shesta sat there watching them with a devilish smile, happy with his decision to do to trick them. 

"Hot!!" Moron Two screamed, running around the cafeteria. 

"I need a drink!!" Moron Two yelled, desperately trying to grab someone else's drink. Soon the commotion came to the attention of some teachers. 

"What's going on here??" one of Shesta's teachers demanded. She watched the two boys running around like crazy. 

Shesta smirked for only a second before putting on a pitiful face. "Those guys were tryin' to trick me into eating a sandwich covered in hot sauce," Shesta explained with his puppy dog eyes, "but when they tried to show me the sandwich was okay, their trick backfired on them." 

"Oh, you poor dear," the woman said. She put her hand on Shesta's shoulder. "Well, I will make sure those two get into deep trouble for this!" 

"Thank you," Shesta said, keeping his sad look until his teacher was gone. "Zama miro (Kiss my ass)…" He snickered and gave his two foes the birdie. 

"My tongue--my tongue!" Moron One said, his tongue hanging out like a dog. 

"It hurts--it hurts!" Moron Two said, tears coming down his face. 

"You two are going to the principal!" the teacher said. She grabbed them by their arms and dragged them away. "Causing such a scene!" 

Shesta sat back and put his hands behind his head. "I guess if I ever wanna do something like again, it'll have to be a while…" he murmured to himself. "Took me _forever_ to just think of that." 

Shesta stiffened as a shadow spread over him and a wicked laugh filled his ears. "Da…dare (Wh…who)…" he said as he turned around. He was surprised he was able to hold back his gasp at the frightening white-haired child before him. 

"Yattekuru ja nai ka (Not bad), Shesta," the boy said. 

Shesta swallowed. "Dare…dare da (Who…who are you)?" he asked. "How do you know my name?" 

The boy's grin appeared like a fan unfolding. "Dilandau," he said. "I can use a guy like you." 

"Use…me?" Shesta said. He stared at Dilandau as if he were a wolf about to pounce on him. 

"How would you like to change your image?" Dilandau offered. He narrowed his eyes. "No one would ever tease you again, as long as _I'm_ around." 

Shesta was of course intrigued by Dilandau's proposition, but he couldn't shake the feeling he was making a deal with the devil…   
  
*****   
  


"…think that Dilandau-san is really cool," William said, interrupting Shesta's memory. "He has that cool car and he dresses really cool." 

_How did Dilandau manage to make Will call him "Dilandau-san?"_ Shesta wondered. _I always call him "Dilandau" at home…_

"I think he's pretty," Olivia said, smiling. "His eyes are shiny an' his hair is soft like a blanket." 

"What the he…" Shesta closed his mouth and then opened it again. "Livvy, how do you know how Dilandau's hair feels?" 

"He let me touch it last time I saw him," Olivia said. She looked proud. "You were lookin' for something' so I walked up to him and axed him if I could feel his hair while you was gone." 

"Sou ka (I see)," Shesta said. He laughed only to cover up his displease. _Children are too easily attracted to things and people…_ he thought.   
  
*****   
  


Celena sighed as she heard the door slam. It wasn't often she was woken by shouting but it had happened a few times. Of course, such loud noises made by her brothers made her nervous, but it made her depressed more than anything. She really wished Allen and Dilandau would get along better. 

"One step at a time," Celena said, going to the fridge. It was eerily quiet now that Allen had too left. Dilandau had left a little while before Allen did. 

after pouring herself some cranberry juice, Celena sat down at the table. "There's something about the Ryuugekitai," she said to herself. "I wonder if they have to do with Dilandau's change…" She decided to find out today, having lacked to see her brother the first day of school. 

"Demo!" Celena said as she stood up again with an empty glass in her hand. "Allen can't find out about those guys… He'd never let me go back to Zaibach again. They're scary, but Dilandau is my brother and I'm gonna find some way to connect with him again." 

Celena smiled and nodded as if to agree with herself. She went over to the sink and began washing out her glass. However, her hand shook the whole time as she did. 

_Still,_ she thought, _I have a bad feeling… A very bad feeling…_   
  
*****   
  


Just as his mother finished making breakfast, the door bell rang. Shesta raised a brow and wondered who it could be. It wasn't seven o'clock yet, so Shesta doubted it was Dilandau. He managed to talk William out of answering the door before he went to answer it himself. The doorbell had ran twice before he opened his front door. 

"Di…Dilandau-san??" Shesta couldn't help his surprise. 

"What took you so long?" Dilandau asked, unable to show his annoyance with Shesta looking so shocked. Shesta's expressions were always entertaining. 

"Well, uh…I'm not even ready yet…" Shesta said, preparing himself to rush. "I haven't eaten yet, I need to get dressed, and--" 

"Settle down," Dilandau said, holding up his hand. "I came over to have breakfast with you. Ii desshou (That's all right, isn't)?" 

"Uh, hai…" Shesta said. He blinked at Dilandau. 

"You gonna let me in then?" 

"Ha-Hai!" Shesta stepped over so Dilandau could enter. "Dilandau-san?" 

Dilandau looked back at him as Shesta closed his front door. "Nan da (What is it)?" 

"We…Well…" Shesta rested his hands on the end of his towel. _Iie,_ he thought, frowning a little. _I shouldn't pry._

"Well, what?" 

"Nanimo nai (Nothing)." Shesta smiled at Dilandau and began to lead him to the kitchen. "I'm just surprised to see you, that's all." 

"Hmph, thought I'd disappear because you didn't see me last night?" Dilandau said behind him. 

"That wouldn't happen even if I wanted it to," Shesta said. He stopped just before they neared the kitchen. 

"Doushita (What's wrong)?" Dilandau said, knowing there was a specific reason he was hesitating. 

Shesta faced him, trying not to have a concerned expression. "Did you…did you let Olivia touch your hair last time you saw her?" he asked. 

Dilandau's grin did concern Shesta and this time, Dilandau was aware of it. "Aa," he said. He chuckled when he saw Shesta struggling not to get flustered. "Daijoubu, 'oniichan' (It's all right, big brother). I was just trying to be nice. I like your family, remember?" 

"Yes, I do remember," Shesta said, unable to think Dilandau wasn't teasing him with the "oniichan" thing. "That's very strange because you like few people." 

Dilandau shrugged. "What can I say?" 

Shesta let out a breath. "Sometimes I feel very stressed out around you…" Dilandau laughed and for some reason Shesta calmed. "How do you know how to do that to people?" 

"A few more years around me, and you'll know how to make people break into tears just from looking at you." 

"I doubt that," Shesta said, smiling. "I'll stick to the little that I've picked up so far." 

"Koujin ni (As you like)," Dilandau said, shrugging. He followed Shesta into the kitchen. 

"Look who's here for breakfast," Shesta said as he stepped into the kitchen with Dilandau. 

"Cool, it's Dilandau-san!" William said. He hopped out of his chair and sat in the one next to it. "You can have my chair." 

"Arigatou," Dilandau said, grinning as he sat by Shesta's enthusiastic brother. He turned his grin upon Olivia who was staring at him as if he was some new toy she wanted to have. "Good to see you again, Olivia." 

Olivia giggled and waved to him. Shesta was a bit worried about her affection actions, but he sat down next to Dilandau without a word. Shesta's mother set a basket of muffins on the table and smiled at their guest. 

"You look so nice today, Dilandau," She said. "I'm so glad you decided to join us for breakfast." 

"Arigatou, Caroline," Dilandau said on both accounts. Shesta noticed the almost sincere look on his leader's face. "You don't look so bad yourself this morning. New hair style?" 

Caroline laughed and lightly hit Dilandau's shoulder. "I've had this same hair style for years," she said, "but I appreciate the compliment." 

"Dilandau-san, why do you call my mother by her first name?" Shesta asked, trying not to have a cynical expression. Dilandau did that a lot around his mother; he always talked as if he was trying to flatter her to death. Shesta never quite understood that. 

"Your mother looks too young to be called by anything other than her first name," Dilandau said, Shesta the only one knowing doubting his reply. "I find it hard to believe she's had three children." 

"Oh, you are so _sweet_," Caroline said. She brought the pitcher of orange to the table. "Now what can I get you, Dilandau?" 

"Anything is fine," Dilandau said. He laughed at Shesta's doubtful face. "You know I like Caroline's food." 

Shesta let out a sigh. "Hai," he said. _It's very hard to handle such a long period of Dilandau's fake politeness,_ he thought. _Especially around my family…_

"Dilandau-san, how come your hair is so nice?" Olivia asked, having little interest in the food her mother had put on her plate. 

"Mmm, just lucky, I guess," Dilandau said, flicking a few strands of hair. 

Shesta didn't miss the pride in Dilandau's eyes and laughed at his answer. _Lucky,_ he thought while laughing. _Now if only Dilandau would truly think that! That would be the day!_

"What's so funny, oniichan?" William asked. 

Shesta coughed away his laugher. "Nanimo nai, nanimo nai," he said. He smiled and looked at Dilandau. "You need anything else, Dilandau-san?" 

Dilandau picked up a muffin and took a bite out of it. "Hot sauce," he said while chewing. 

"Ah, I should have guessed," Shesta said. He rose and went to the cabinet. 

"Hot sauce?" Caroline asked. She finally took her seat at the table. 

Dilandau licked some crumbs off his lips. "I like things hot," he said. He grinned at Shesta when he set the bottle next to his plate. 

"Yeah," Shesta said as if Dilandau had asked for confirmation. 

Shesta sat back down and tried his best to make Dilandau's actions seem normal. This was difficult when his leader began pouring hot sauce on his eggs, bacon, and hash browns with the same glint in his eyes he had when he lit things on fire. It was even harder to keep William and Olivia from imitating him. Shesta noted that Dilandau didn't help him any by laughing the whole time Shesta tried to handle his siblings.   
  
*****   
  


"Sou ka (I see)," Dilandau said, crossing his legs on top of Shesta's bed. He slipped his hands between his head and the pillow. "Couldn't see you two going out like that a few years ago." 

"Yes, really," Shesta said. He placed his towel on his dresser and then brushed his hair a few times. "I'm glad we're past that little issue." 

"Little?" Dilandau snickered and closed his eyes. "What was so little about it?" 

Shesta rested his brush on the dresser and coughed. "Okay, maybe it was a bit more than 'little,'" he agreed. He sighed and walked over to his closet. "I didn't like Gatty very much and he liked me even less." 

"Aa," Dilandau said. He listened to Shesta move hangers across the metal bar in his closet. "Don't even think about wearing _that_ white shirt." 

Shesta's hand froze, inches away from grabbing a white shirt. "Ho…how did you know?" Dilandau scared him sometimes when he did things like that. 

Dilandau grinned. "One reason I decided you were vital to the Ryuugekitai was your reliability," he said. "Even if you surprise me sometimes, I trust you the most." 

Shesta couldn't help but smile. "And here I thought you were going to say I was so predictable," he said. He moved his hand toward a different shirt and pulled it from the rack. 

"That too." Dilandau knew without seeing that Shesta was frowning so he laughed briefly. "At least you're getting better at not being so predictable." 

"Thanks a lot, Dilandau-san," Shesta muttered. He pulled his shirt down past his head and tucked it into his khaki pants. 

"You know one of your problems, Shesta?" Dilandau went on. "You still see some of the things we Ryuugekitai do as wrong." 

"Some of the things we do _are_ wrong," Shesta said. He fixed his collar. "That's why we do them." 

"I've never done anything wrong in my life," Dilandau said. Shesta had to admire how Dilandau breezed through that lie as if he thought it was true. 

"Well, there are some things I regret doing," Shesta said. He frowned at how amused Dilandau's face appeared. "Like the playground horror? Olivia plays at that playground all the time. I hope she never figures out why I had to keep her away that day." 

Dilandau made a sound of disapproval. "Ah, Shesta," he said as if in dismay, "I clipped your wings a long time ago, but I see them trying to grow back all the time." 

"Heh," Shesta said, taking his comment as an insult. "Even you don't wear your horns all the time, Dilandau-san." 

Dilandau opened one eye and peered in Shesta's direction with a slightly annoyed expression. Shesta's expression, in turn, was neutral, indicating he wasn't joking nor being smug. Dilandau slowly closed the eye back and shifted a little on his back. 

"So, did you find any time yesterday to do what I asked?" Dilandau said, deciding to pretend like Shesta hadn't ever said his last comment. 

Shesta snorted and pulled his shoes from the floor of the closest. "With that tone, you sound as if you'd be fine if I said 'no,'" he said. He sat down on the edge of his bed and put his shoes on. "I typed up all the information on Van Fanel that your sources could find. I'll get his school schedule for you before second period is done." 

Dilandau opened both eyes and sat up with a devilish smile. "Good," he said. "New kids need to learn the danger of crossing any member of the Ryuugekitai, especially me." 

"Uhn," Shesta said. He stood and grabbed his book bag next to his door. "I'm ready, Dilandau-san." 

"Yoshi (All right)," Dilandau said. He hopped off his bed and glanced at his watch. "We'll pick up Miguel and Dallet and you can read me the report on the way to school." 

"Hai," Shesta said. He opened the door for his leader as Dilandau approached it and followed him out the door. 

Shesta almost had completely forgot about the peculiarity of Dilandau's presence at his house until Dilandau joined in with his goodbyes to his family. That inspired him to question it again. Before he thought it was best not to pry, but his curiosity was too much. Shesta would risk the possible slap. 

"Dilandau-san," Shesta said as Dilandau sat down in the driver's seat. Shesta was already seated and secured by his seat belt. 

"Nan da?" Dilandau said. He closed his door and started up his car. 

"You mind if I ask why you joined me for breakfast?" Shesta said. He swallowed when Dilandau was quiet during the time he left Shesta's house and started for Miguel's house. "Er, never mind, Di--" 

"I thought of going to Gatty's house," Dilandau said, his eyes always looking ahead, "but not only is his place depressing, but I know Gatty would immediately know why I was there. I wasn't in the mood to handle his questions about the fight I had with Allen." 

"Sou ka." _Allen and he must have had a pretty big one if it forced Dilandau to leave his house so early,_ he thought. _It still surprises me, though, he chose to come to me instead of Gatty, considering how close those two are…_

"You'd never think your family was missing your father," Dilandau continued. "For some reason now that I've been to your house, I feel less angry." 

"Yokatta (I'm glad)," Shesta said, even though there was a frown on his face. He couldn't help it; the mention of his father always did that to him. 

"But then again as annoying as my family is," Dilandau said, not missing Shesta's frown nor the what it was for, "I wouldn't change places with you. Your siblings are more in the way than mine are." 

"No offense, Dilandau-san," Shesta said, his frown turning into a grimace at the thought of Dilandau and he trading places, "but you'd be terrible at being the oldest. Being the middle child suits you." 

"Hmph, I agree," Dilandau said, grinning though Shesta's comment was nearly an insult. "I wouldn't want to be a badgering bastard like Allen or a pathetic little baby like my sister." 

_Sister,_ Shesta thought. "That reminds me, Dilandau-san," he said. The rare occurrence of Dilandau acknowledging the presence of his sister reminded him of an important fact. "Celena--" 

"What about her?" Dilandau asked. He took his eyes off the road and gave Shesta a stare that meant his friend should be treading carefully on the subject. 

"Uh…well, um…" Shesta tugged at his collar as if he was choking. He coughed twice and tried again. "None of us…we…we don't know what…what she looks like. You never…never…described her or…or showed us…" 

Dilandau glared at Shesta a while before looking back ahead. "Not that I was looking for her or anything," he said in a voice that was too soft for Shesta's comfort, "but I thought at some point I'd run into her. I guess she was smart enough to stay out of my sight after she learned how much power I have at school. I think she has the same lunch period we do, so I'll show you all what she looks like then." 

"All…All ri--" 

"Shikashi (However)," Dilandau aid, "that will be the last time we should recognize her existence. She will be a ghost to us." 

"Ha…Hai…" Shesta said. He adverted his eyes from his leader, becoming tense by the sight of his leader being so tense himself. _I wonder why Dilandau seems so adamant about treating his sister like she's nothing,_ he wondered. _Maybe he doesn't want us to treat her nicely and show the other students that we Ryuugekitai aren't always cruel. Oh, well. Dilandau's the boss; if he says treat his sister like she's invisible, then I will. After all, Dilandau said he trusts me the most. Heh, zama miro, Gatty._

"What the hell are you smiling about?" Dilandau snapped. 

Shesta lost his smile and looked down. "Bestu ni (Nothing)," he said quickly. "Um, should I begin reading the report now, Dilandau-san?" 

"Better wait until we get those other two," Dilandau said, sounding as if he was over whatever made him lose his temper. "Those two will just interrupt unless they hear everything." 

"Hai," Shesta said. He eyed Dilandau getting his cell phone and dialing Gatty's number, no doubt. 

Shesta took that moment to gaze out the window and to try to just enjoy the ride as long as he could. He didn't know about the others, but whenever he could take a breather from the whole Ryuugekitai business, he'd take it. Sometimes Shesta was merely content with just a two-minute break.   
  
*****   
  


Shesta wasn't surprised his second period teacher gave him an angry look when he came in about twenty minutes late. However, Shesta merely handed the man his late pass and waited for his teacher to accept it. It seemed as if the teacher was going to deny his pass, but eventually (after grumbling and glaring at the piece of paper) Shesta's teacher pardoned his tardiness and allowed him to take a seat. 

Shesta decided he wouldn't dwell on the fact his teacher seemed to have something personal against him and looked for somewhere to sit. In the back of the classroom he spotted Gatty beside an empty seat. His friend motioned to Shesta and Shesta took the seat. Shesta settled his eyes ahead, trying to pretend as if he cared the teacher had started his lesson again. Gatty grinned and locked his eyes on Shesta. 

"Didn't know we had second period together," Gatty commented. 

"You would if you had came to class yesterday," Shesta replied. 

Gatty wasn't sure why Shesta seemed bitter about that, but he merely laughed and left that discussion at that. Gradually Shesta became bored from listening to his teacher and started up conversation with Gatty again.

"Finally doing your job today?" Shesta asked. 

"I've gotten a few orders today, but I only picked up some weed from the Vione yesterday," Gatty said low enough that only Shesta would hear. "I'm planning to just sell that off and gather some more orders before I carry around anything else." 

"Hmm." 

Gatty's look became smug. "Dilandau-san can only trust me with that sort of thing, of course. Ever since we started the Ryuugekitai, I've handled the drug dealing." 

Shesta frowned and finally turned to see Gatty's smug face. "The reason you've always been the dealer probably has to do with tradition," he said. "I mean, even Dilandau-san has patterns he sticks to." 

"Nani?" Now they were both frowning. 

Satisfied with Gatty's frown, but not losing his own, Shesta looked ahead again. "Then again, the reason could be you're the only one who'd understand a drug addict." 

"Oi!!" 

The teacher turned his back to the chalkboard he had been writing upon. "Is there something you want?" he asked Gatty. 

Gatty grinded his teeth and muttered a negative response. A few students laughed and the teacher told them, as well as Gatty, to keep quiet while he was teaching. The teacher stared at Gatty for a minute or two, as if expecting him to dare to speak, before turning his back to the class again. 

Gatty folded his arms. "Che (Shit)," he said. He waited a few minutes before going on in a softer tone. "What would _you_ know anyway, Shesta? You're just a secretary, after all." 

Shesta's hands immediately balled up, but after a few seconds of thought, he relaxed again. "You know, Dilandau-san came over to my house for breakfast this morning," he said with an obvious boastful air. 

"Nani?" Gatty said. Seeing Shesta's satisfied expression rather than the heated one he had anticipated, he himself became vexed. 

"He and Allen had a fight," Shesta continued, "but he didn't want to go over to your house." 

Gatty picked up his pen and began to hold it with a crushing intent. "What the hell are you getting at, Shesta?" 

"Dilandau-san also said I was the one he trusted the most out of the Ryuugekitai," Shesta added, ignoring Gatty. 

"_Shesta_, Gatty said, addressing him by name to force Shesta to listen to him, "I don't know why you're purposely trying to stir up trouble. Since we've already gotten through that bitter enemy thing back in sixth grade, we've gotten along the best among the Ryuugekitai." 

Shesta turned and smiled at Gatty as if the two were have a pleasant conversation. "I'm simply telling you about my morning," he said. 

Gatty snorted. "Your innocent little act may work with adults like the guidance counselor, but not with me," he said. "I know your games." Shesta laughed softly and Gatty glared at him. "Can we talk about something less annoying now?" 

"Whatever." Shesta shrugged and took out his pencil and paper to pretend to be taking notes. 

"Why are you so late?" Gatty asked, doing the same as Shesta. 

Shesta stopped looking amused then. "Dilandau-san wanted Van Fanel's schedule, so I went to the guidance office to get it and then I delivered it to him," he said. 

"Van Fanel," Gatty repeated. "What's with him and Dilandau-san? He never said what bugged him about this guy." 

"Dilandau-san really must want him gone," Shesta said. He began tapping his pencil on the blank sheet of paper. "He hasn't done a background check on anyone in a long time. 

Gatty too showed signs of discomfort, wringing his pen in both hands. "Last time was in eighth grade. Those kids dropped out of school and moved to another country." 

"I almost feel sorry for this Fanel person…" 

Gatty forced a smile. "Maybe it'll be fun," he suggested. 

Shesta glanced at him from the corner of his eye. "For who?" he asked. He stopped tapping his pencil and began to make random marks on his paper. "I hope I don't have to fight anyone…" 

"I thought you had fun beating up the RAT last night [2]," Gatty said with a grin. 

"I did what was necessary. No sense in getting beat up when Dilandau-san would beat us again later for letting ourselves get beat up." 

"Aa, but it was fun--especially when you threw a brick at that one guy." 

"I did what was necessary." 

Gatty placed a hand on his cheek. "Man, you're not too different from when you first joined," he muttered. "You're still relatively a good person." 

"I tell you what I told Dilandau-san: " Shesta said, unsure whether or not Gatty's remark was a compliment or not, "you don't wear your horns all the time." 

Just as Gatty's mouth opened, the two heard a loud slam from the front of the classroom. "I've had it with you two talking while I teach!" The teacher snapped. "Get out of my classroom!" 

Gatty stood and made a fake expression of dismay. "Aww, we'll miss today's lecture," he said. Shesta stood with him as he finished his comment. 

"You've lost the privilege!" their teacher said. He pointed to the door. "You can get notes later! Now get out!" 

Gatty snorted and started out while the teacher added he would send someone to let them back in later. Shesta, noticing the amusement from the majority of the class, decided to just walk out without any last words. He had thought Gatty was annoyed by the teacher's punishment, but seeing Gatty grinning at him as Shesta and he leaned against the wall outside, Shesta figured class was the last thing on his mind. 

"Did you really say that to Dilandau-san?" Gatty asked. Shesta nodded and Gatty laughed. "Man, I bet that pissed him off." 

"Seemed like it." Shesta couldn't help but smile now. 

"I wonder how you managed to escape a slap for that comment." 

Shesta shrugged and smiled more. "Today just must be my lucky day."   
  
*****   
  


Dilandau was sure it wasn't just a temporary hatred he had for Van Fanel. He knew that the more days of class Dilandau would have to sit and watch the infuriating boy show off, the more Dilandau would hate him. Van was an annoyingly studious student and (in Dilandau's opinion) a huge brownnoser. It was bad enough the teacher (or old hag as Dilandau liked to think of her) seemed to give Dilandau a look of "you should be more like him" every time Van answered a question correctly, without several girls in the class praising Van as if he was something amazing. It seemed as though if Van was aware of Dilandau's position at school, it only seemed to make Van more inclined to try to impress everyone in class. If Dilandau had hated Van yesterday, Dilandau could easily say he despised him today. 

The teacher had left the classroom to get something she left in her car, so Dilandau finally had some time to look over Shesta's report with his own eyes. Having Van's schedule in addition, Dilandau tried to find something in the report that would help him destroy Van a little easier. As much as Dilandau wanted Van gone from his sight, he had no desire to waste precious time on him. Dilandau wouldn't allow himself to let his hatred for Van to consume all the time he would have spent on Ryuugekitai business. Dilandau, however, was frustrated with the report because it told him nothing of what Van's connection was to Hitomi. Yes, his main goal was to just figure out a way to eradicate the bothersome boy, but as much as he tried, he couldn't ignore his desire to know why Hitomi disappeared after saying Van's name. Several of Van's friends, past and present, had been listed in the report, but nothing said a word about Hitomi. 

_Kuso,_ Dilandau thought, flipping to the page that described places Van had been. Apparently the Fanel family had lived several places, including the mysterious Mystic Moon. Dilandau, though not finding that information terribly important, thought that it was a bit strange. People usually didn't move there, even the people in Mystic Moon's neighboring country, India. The Mystic Moon natives made up ninety percent of the country's population. 

_Hmph, why am I wasting time reading this shit?_ Dilandau asked himself. He let out a fast breath and glared at Van, busy talking with a few girls. 

_Before I get rid of him…I have to know why Hitomi [3] called out his name yesterday,_ Dilandau thought. _I haven't seen her today and I don't want to ask Shesta to get her schedule. She might not even really exist--_

"Dilandau-sama?" 

Dilandau closed the manila folder with the report and placed it under his book. Gazing carefully in front of his desk, he saw a girl, joined by her three other friends, was the source of his intrusion. He might have been perturbed by their interruption if he didn't notice how nervous they seemed to be (and hadn't addressed him so properly). Dilandau, instead, smiled in his usual alluringly manner and paused his thoughts of Van for the moment. 

"What can I do for you?" Dilandau said, enjoying the way the girls seemed to adore his polite tone. 

"Um, well, you see, Dilandau-sama," the same girl said after being nudged by her friends. "We just, um, think you're…you're really handsome….and cool and we…we… we wrote letters for you and we hope you'll…you'll take them…" She and her friends blushed and mentioned about being embarrassed when the girl presented the letters to him. 

_Sometimes it's so easy, it's pathetic,_ Dilandau thought, only allowing himself to grin. He took the four letters from the girl and placed them into his jacket's inside pocket. 

The girls made cries of joy and held hands over their hearts as if they would die from disbelief. Dilandau was good at simply keeping his grin while they did this and thanked him at least ten times. Finally he nodded to them, told them it was no problem, and watched them go giddily back to their desk, giggling about how lucky they were. Dilandau chuckled to himself and closed his eyes. 

"Aa, what a curse it is to be so beautiful," Dilandau said softly. 

"So you're really the leader of that stupid group terrorizing the school, huh?" 

Dilandau's eyes opened so fast, they were open before he even though about it. As much as he liked to keep a calm façade when dealing with his enemies, he couldn't help but give Van, now in front of his desk, a death-glare. Something kept telling Dilandau to not even allow any conversation between them and to simply punch Van in the face. Luckily, Dilandau was able to ignore the feeling. The classroom became terribly silent, none of the students ever witnessing someone saying something like that to Dilandau's face. Behind his back--but never to his face. 

"I can't believe a guy like you exists," Van said with disgust. "I don't know why you've never been expelled." 

Dilandau's anger didn't fade away, but slowly he was able to grin. "Since you're new at this school, I'll inform you of my invulnerability," he said. "No one is safe from the Ryuugekitai's wrath, should one invite it." 

Van slammed a hand on the edge of Dilandau's desk. "I won't ever pay for one of your dumb ART cards, kisama (bastard)!" he said. The class gasped, but Van paid them no attention. 

"You don't really need to," Dilandau said, giving Van a cool stare. "An ART card won't protect you from the Ryuugekitai." The class gasped for a second time, but this time their surprise was greater. 

There was a slight pause in their conversation, during which Van glared at Dilandau who continued to smile evenly. The students in the class were frozen as if they thought one false move would cause an explosion. No one had ever seen Dilandau fight someone before, but they all knew that if Dilandau called the shots in such as gang as the Ryuugekitai, he had to be powerful enough to scare the others into taking his orders. 

"I'm not afraid of you," Van finally said. "I might be new at this school, but one day at this school was enough to tell me how evil you Ryuugekitai are." 

Dilandau's lips curved upward just slightly. "And?" 

"I won't let you and your goons control my school!" 

Dilandau's wicked laughter only seemed to intensify the uneasy atmosphere of the room. "Fanel, had you said this to one of my 'goons' you might have only walked away with a simple beat down," he said. He paused to laugh again, yet softer than the first time. "Shikashi (However), you made a huge mistake to confront me with your righteous shit. I guess I have to show you how much influence I have around here." 

Van removed his hand from the edge of Dilandau's desk and shook his head. "How can you be related to Celena--" 

Dilandau, who stood up so quickly that he stopped Van's words, felt himself almost explode with rage. "Don't you _ever_ say her name," he growled. Everyone, including Van, was worried about Dilandau's sudden mood swing, but Van showed his anxiety the least. 

"I didn't know you two were related until I went to my third period class," Van said, crossing his arms across his chest. "I feel sorry for her." 

"Temee (Bastard)…" Dilandau slowly sat back down and lowered his voice almost to a whisper, allowing few people to hear his words. "If you know what's good for you, you'll stay away from her." 

Van raised a brow. "Naze? Don't tell me you--" 

"I won't repeat myself," Dilandau said a little louder. Dilandau stared at Van as if one more word from the dark-haired teen would cause Dilandau to attack him. The class became even more nervous, petrified as though Dilandau were going to attack them as well. 

"What's going on in here?" the teacher said as she entered the class room. Van was the only one who looked startled; the rest of the class was still motionless with Dilandau continuing to stare angrily. 

"Nothing," Van said. He went back to his seat and gradually the other students went relatively back to normal. Dilandau, however, refused to change in the least bit. 

_Fanel,_ Dilandau thought still staring ahead as if Van was still there. The teacher had began speaking, but that was of no concern to him. _Crossing me was stupid, but associating with her… I'll never allow that!_   
  
*****   
  


"Hmm…" Shesta murmured as he walked down the hall. He went through his organizer, coming across the information he had put in about the RAT. _I wonder if I should bother Dilandau with that information,_ he thought. _It's not as if those guys could ever cause us a problem, but we might be able to use them as an example of what happens to those who cross the Ryuugekitai…_

Shesta, upon thinking about the RAT, thought of how well he and Gatty worked together in general. Even when arguing, the two acted like the best of the friends. Had he and Gatty had such a little dispute like they had in class back in sixth grade, the effect wouldn't have been pretty. Shesta smiled wryly, thinking that their road to friendship had truly been a rocky one…   
  
*****   
  


Perhaps if Gatty or Shesta hadn't been glaring at each other so hatefully, they might have been nervous about being at the Vione with some many older and scarier people. However, neither had one thought of their surroundings; they were concentrating heavily on each other. Even the task that Dilandau had sent them there to do wasn't their priority, as much as Dilandau was the topic of their dispute. 

"Just leave this to me, Shesta," Gatty said, breaking the silent glare-down. "You're new to this organization and not cut out to handle things such as planning pranks." 

"Dilandau-san said we _both_ are supposed to plan the next prank," Shesta said, lowering his brows. 

Gatty snorted. "I don't need your help. I can do this all myself." 

"No, I don't need _your_ help. I'm not just part of the Ryuugekitai because Dilandau-san likes me." 

"I don't even know why you are even in the Ryuugekitai! You're just some boy scout that will probably cause our group to fall apart!" 

"Boy scout??" Shesta laid his palms on the table between them and tried to keep himself from shaking. "The reason I'm probably in this group is because Dilandau-san doesn't trust you enough to handle things on your own!" 

"Shut the hell up! Dilandau-san and me stared the Ryuugekitai--you can easily be replaced!" 

"The same goes for you," Shesta said, recovering a little of his calm. "With your background, you'll probably end up being a useless drunk." 

"Nani??" Gatty balled up his fists. 

"Like father, like son," Shesta said, grinning slightly. 

"How do you know about that??" Gatty asked, a bead of sweat traveling down the side of his head. 

"We live in the same neighborhood, jackass. I've heard the stories." 

"Don't even act high-and-mighty, kisama (bastard)!" Gatty pointed at Shesta as if accusing him. "At least my father didn't desert his family! With _your_ background, you'll probably try to leave the Ryuugekitai when it gets too difficult for you!" 

Shesta got to his feet, barely able to control his body from shaking. "Shut your fucking mouth!" he said. "I'd rather have no father at all than an abusive drunk loser like yours!" 

"That's it! I'm gonna kick your ass!" Gatty began to come around the end of the table. 

"Not if I kick yours first!" Shesta said, moving to meet him halfway. Needless to say, neither of two exactly got around to what Dilandau had asked them to do…   
  
*****   
  


"Shesta!" 

Shesta looked back and saw Gatty coming toward him. Having been heavily engrossed in his stroll down memory lane, the sight of Shesta's friend made him a bit tense. Shesta almost felt as though the two were at battle, as they had been some years back. 

"Oi, I got some girl to write us copies of her notes," Gatty said, holding sheets of paper in his hand. He handed Shesta's copy to him. "That stupid teacher…did he really think that he'd get us by having an open-notes quiz and telling us to take our own notes from the book? Heh!" 

"Aa," Shesta said. Gatty didn't notice the strange look on Shesta's face that suggested he wasn't sure if Gatty was real. 

"Sooner or later, we're gonna to have to teach him not to mess with us, ne?" Gatty said, grinning. 

Shesta snapped out of his reminiscence and shared Gatty's grin. "Aa," he said again. "So, are you going to next period?" 

Gatty laughed as if embarrassed about the other day. "Of course," he said. "You know Dilandau-san doesn't tolerate us skipping class without his permission." 

"Sou (Right)." 

"Well, I better get going since my class is on the other side of school. Ja!" Gatty headed in the opposite direction Shesta had been going and disappeared from Shesta's sight in two minutes. 

Shesta resumed walking to his next class and put his organizer back into his pocket. Unzipping the book bag on his back with taking it off or stopping, he took the notes he received and shoved them into the bag, deciding to organize them later. It wasn't long before his traveling down the hall had brought him to Viole and Guimel's path. They were doing their normal job: harassing students about ART cards and whatever else they could do give Zaibach students a hard time. Shesta didn't mind them much until the two saw Shesta coming their way and grinned at him as if they were up to something. 

Shesta didn't slow his pace, but he did lower his eyelids halfway. "Yep, they're up to something…" he muttered to himself.   
  
*****   
  


Celena rubbed her forehead, trying to figure out where she was. "Now where the heck is my locker??" she said, glancing at the rows of lockers she was passing. The numbers were at least a hundred above those on the row where her locker was. "Mou (Geez)! This school is too big!" 

She continued to moved down the hall almost turning right around when she saw Viole and Guimel. However, she stopped her feet from moving as she caught sight of who they were currently harassing. Shesta was their unfortunate target at the moment, or so it seemed to Celena. Remembering how nice Shesta had been to her yesterday, she stepped a bit closer behind Viole and Guimel so she could hear what was going on. 

"What do we have here?" Viole said as he stopped approaching Shesta. 

Shesta let out a breath. "I don't really have time for this…" he said. 

"Hey, we're just checking for ART cards," Guimel said, holding out his hand. "Where's yours?" 

"Yeah, where's yours?" Viole repeated. 

Shesta frowned. _I hate when they do this kind of crap,_ he thought. 

"A nice guy like you shouldn't have to be a target for the Ryuugekitai," Viole added. Guimel laughed next to him and commented that was a good one. 

"Oh, really?" Shesta asked, rolling his eyes. 

"Yeah, _really_," Guimel said. "Now, where's your ART card?" 

"Oh, right, my _ART_ card," Shesta said, laughing as if he had been silly. He dug into his pocket and then pulled out his hand with his middle finger extended. "Here it is." 

"Oh, he's a smart ass," Viole said, grinning. Celena couldn't see Shesta's hand, but she figured from Viole's comment that Shesta hadn't shown them his card. 

Celena gasped as Viole lifted Shesta up by his collar and Guimel cracked his knuckles. "No one gets away with crossing the Ryuugekitai," Guimel said. 

"Are you guys that bored?" Shesta muttered as the two laughed, preventing Celena from hearing Shesta's remark. 

"We're just having a little fun," Viole said, only enjoying Shesta's annoyed face. 

"Put me down already," Shesta said, really starting to get irritated. 

"And if I don't?" Viole challenged. 

"Are ya gonna fight us?" Guimel asked, chuckling again. 

"Omae-tachi (You two)…" Shesta said, considering his suggestion. Viole and Guimel laughed again, tempting him to go through with it. 

"Matte (Wait)! Don't bully him!" Celena said, unable to stand by and only listen any more. 

Viole and Guimel stopped their laughter and turned their attention to the person who was trying to get in their way. Shesta, who had seen who it was before the other two, was surprised and perplexed. Guimel and Viole just grinned. 

"Hey, it's that girl from yesterday," Guimel said. 

"Hey, cutie," Viole said, dropping Shesta. At that point the two walked away from Shesta, leaving him on the floor. 

Celena swallowed, but stood her ground. "If he doesn't have an ART card, I'll pay for his, but please don't pick on him," she said. She didn't like that she seemed to be their center of attention now, but she was grateful that they weren't going to hurt the boy that had helped her out yesterday. 

"Why you worried about him?" Viole asked. "You outta have some fun with us." 

"Aa," Guimel came in, "you'll never have to worry an ART card again." He and Viole's laughter didn't convince Celena that his claim was true. 

Shesta got onto his feet and clenched his fists. "Hey, lay off her," he said. Viole and Guimel only snorted at him and kept their backs to him. Shesta growled and walked between his friends and Celena. "Don't you two have ART cards to sell??" 

Instantly Viole and Guimel scowled at Shesta. "Onore (Why you)…" Viole said. 

"Why are you spoiling our fun?" Guimel said. 

"I wonder what would happen if you didn't sell all your ART cards and were taking more time to have 'fun,'" Shesta said. 

"Che," Viole said, tapping Guimel on the arm. "Let's go. We'll get him back later." 

"Whatever," Shesta said, relieved they were going, but still frowning at them. He watched them go, ignoring the two's muttering about getting him back. Finally he let out a breath when Viole and Guimel had left the hall and turned to Celena with a smile. 

"Sorry about that," Shesta said. "Those two can be like animals." 

"Th…Thank you…" Celena said, face having been red ever since Shesta had stepped in front of her. "I wouldn't have known how to get rid of those two." 

"Just think of it as my way of thanking you for helping me out," Shesta said. He glanced at his watch, noting the bell was going to ring in about a minute. "Well, I should be going…" 

"Ah! Matte!" Celena said after Shesta had taken two steps away. Her face felt warm as he looked back at her. "I never got the chance to ask your name…" 

"I'm Shesta," Shesta said. He rubbed his cheek, hoping it was his imagination that he was blushing. 

"Shesta," Celena repeated, smiling as though she had found out something incredible. "Well, my name is Ce--" She was cut off by someone pulling her from behind. 

Shesta blinked at Celena being pulled away by some strange girl, but didn't have the time to figure out what was going on. He didn't have the desire to be late, even if he couldn't easily get himself excused. Shesta was sure he'd see Celena again. 

Celena, on the other hand, was less unconcerned. "Hey, what was that for?" she asked when she had stopped being dragged. 

"You can _not_ be associating with the Ryuugekitai," Ferra said, wiping her forehead. "It's dangerous!" 

Celena scratched her head. "Well, it wasn't so bad this time…" she said, thinking she wasn't aware Ferra had seen her with Viole and Guimel. "Shesta was able to send those two away." 

Ferra knocked on Celena's head. "Hello?" she said. "I was talking _about_ Shesta. He's a member of the Ryuugekitai." 

"Uso (That's a lie)." However, Celena didn't see why Ferra would lie about something like that. 

"I'm for real. He may look nice, but he's just as dangerous as the others. All the Ryuugekitai members are bad people." 

Celena put a hand to her cheek. _I would have never guessed…_ she thought. _Demo, it would make sense why he was able to make Viole and Guimel leave…_ "How many guys are in the Ryuugekitai?" she asked. 

"There's only seven and you've seen all of them except Gatty and…the leader…" Ferra said. 

"The leader?" Celena said, distracting her for a moment from being dismayed about Shesta's true identity. The bell rang, marking they were late for class. 

"Don't worry about the leader," Ferra said, shaking her head with a nervous smile. "He usually lets the others handle his business and sits back just giving orders. Hey, I'll walk you to your next class." 

"Uhn," Celena said as Ferra told hold of her arm and started leading her down the hall. _Regardless of what Ferra said,_ she thought, _I still can't believe that Shesta is a bad person. He seemed nice to me…_   
  
  
  


To be continued...   
  


Some Footnotes:   
  
[1]- I probably should capitalize this word since it is the name by which Will calls his brother, but it just looks funny, so I decided not to do it. I do the same thing with "kaasan" and "tousan."   
  
[2]- RAT, for those who haven't read the little side-story, is the "Ryuugekitai Annihilation Team." They may or may not appear again later.   
  
[3]- Notice that when Dilandau thinks or her or is alone, he refers to her as "Hitomi." To her face and others, he calls her by her last name. Just didn't want anyone to think I was being inconsistent. ^_^   
  


--Next Part: Dilandau the Angel Slayer, Part Two. Van enlightens Celena about something and changes her view about everything. Dilandau sees Hitomi again, so what do they talk about? Shesta has to leave school early, and Dilandau finally shows Van just how serious he is about taking his threats seriously? Interested? Read on! ^_^ 


	7. Dilandau the Angel Slayer, Part Two

*Author's Notes: Hmm, a lot of happens in this part, the main reason being I'm trying to introduce the last key players in this fic, but they can't come in until I actually get rid of a character. Well, I hope this part is interesting--Enjoy! ^_^   
  


**Dilandau the Angel Slayer, Part Two**

  
  
  
  


Van had to admit that as much as he was convinced that he wasn't afraid of Dilandau, the leader of the Ryuugekitai still lived up to the rumors about him. From far, Dilandau had the looks of a pale weakling hiding behind his six henchmen. Close up, Van could easily understand why people feared him. He had eyes like a devil, a voice that was deprived of all compassion and human regard, and a twisted mind to complement his other qualities. Still, until Van saw Dilandau exert some real power, Van saw no reason to take caution around him. 

Even though Dilandau didn't scare Van, Dilandau did puzzle him. As Van gazed at Celena at the end of class, Van wondered how someone as sweet as Celena could be related to a bastard like Dilandau. Even more puzzling was the way Celena acted as if she had no idea how horrible her brother was. Van figured she just didn't want to let Dilandau get her down. 

Van finally put on a smile and walked up to the front row of desks. He sat on the edge of a desk next to Celena and greeted her. Celena looked up from her writing and returned Van's smile. 

"Fanel-san, right?" Celena said. Van nodded and she rested her pen on her desk. "Is there something you want?" 

"Yeah…you mind if I ask you a question?" 

"Sure, what is it?" 

Van's face became more serious. "Well--" 

"Van." Celena and Van turned back to see the chestnut-haired girl step in between them. Both were a bit unnerved at her sudden appearance, even if she was a student of the class. "Do you really think it's a good idea to be intruding in Celena-san's business?" 

"Hitomi-san," Celena said, stuck between giving her a warm greeting or staring at her like she was some kind of magical creature, "you sound as if you know exactly what Fanel-san's going to say." Hitomi only smiled in response. 

Frowning, although not finding Hitomi's question amazing, Van slid off the edge of the desk. "Anyone would want to know what's going on," he said. 

Celena turned her attention back on Van. "What are you talking about?" she asked. 

"I tried…" Hitomi said softly. 

"I wanted to ask about your brother," Van said, having not lost his frown. 

"Dilandau?" Celena said, her heart beginning to beat faster. Somehow she had a feeling Van would be able to answer some of her questions about her enigmatic brother. "What about him?" 

"Well, you know," Van said, holding up a hand as if she should be able to guess, "why is he such a menace?" 

"Huh?? Men…menace??" 

"Yeah, you know--" 

"She has no idea what you're talking about," Hitomi interjected. 

"What don't I know??" Celena demanded, her heart beat increasing as if some danger was headed her way. 

"Masaka (No way)!" Van said, partially ignoring Celena. "How couldn't she know? I've been at this school only one day and it's the thing I hear about most." 

"This is my first year at Zaibach as well," Celena said, but I haven't heard anything about Dilandau being a menace." 

"Still, how can that be?" Van said. "You live in the same house, right?" 

"Uhn, but I hardly see him. Dilandau is always out with his friends and he barely says a word to me or our older brother." 

"Sou…sou ka," Van said. He rested against the desk, looking opposite of Celena's direction. 

"Tell me why you think Dilandau is a menace," Celena said, noticing Van intended to say no more. 

"Uh…" 

"Please, Fanel-san." She waited until he looked at her before continuing. "Dilandau is my brother, I want to know what's going on with him." 

Van glanced at Hitomi, who shrugged, before nodding. "Okay, since you're bound to find out anyway." 

"What is it?" Celena prepared herself for whatever it may be. 

"Dilandau is a menace because he's part of Zaibach's infamous gang, the Ryuugekitai," Van said. 

Regardless of her anticipation of something terrible, Celena would have never been able to take Van's news without astonishment. "Dilandau's in the Ryuugekitai??" Celena said as if the words didn't make sense. "Sonna (No way)!" _Ferra said I had seen all of them,_ she thought, _except someone named Gatty and the leader…_

Celena's mouth dropped and began to shake before she was able to speak. "Ma…masaka! Dilandau is the…the…" 

Van nodded. "Dilandau is the one and only leader of the Ryuugekitai," he confirmed. "He's also the one most responsible for causing the school so much trouble." 

Celena covered her mouth. _Then all those scary guys are Dilandau's friends,_ she thought. _And also…_

_If you chose to interfere with me and my friends, you'll regret it. Soon you'll learn that I control the school._

"So that's what Dilandau meant," Celena said quietly to herself. "I can't believe this is what he's been up to." 

"Sorry I had to be the bearer of bad news," Van said, rubbing the back of his head. 

Celena shook her head. "It's not your fault," she said. Her head lowered an inch. "I just can't believe Dilandau has gotten his bad. He used to be so sweet." 

"I can't believe that," Van said. He could still see Dilandau's heartless face when Van had spoken to him last period. 

"It's true," Celena said, lifting her head back up. Her face seemed desperate for Van to believe her. "We used to be best friends, and we told each other everything." 

"Hontou ka (Really)?" Van said as if making sure she didn't imagine it all. 

"Daijoubu (It's all right), Celena-san," Hitomi came in. "I know that Dilandau-kun is a sweet person." 

Van raised a brow. "Dilandau…kun??" he repeated. "Why does it sound like you really do know Dilandau?" 

"I do," Hitomi said. She smiled at Van's surprised expression. "We met a long time ago before I met you." 

"I never knew that…" Van said. "Why didn't you say anything about it?" 

Hitomi shrugged. "You never asked," she said. Van seemed annoyed at her response. 

The bell rang, ending the class, and Celena got her things together before she stood up with other students. "Arigatou, Fanel-san, for telling me about Dilandau," she said. She walked toward the door where other students were leaving. "You've given me a lot to think about." 

Van blinked. "A…aa…" he said. 

Celena had almost reached the door when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned and met eyes with Hitomi who had on the same mysterious smile as ever. 

"As long as you don't give up on Dilandau-kun everything will work out," Hitomi said. 

"How do you know?" Celena asked. She was given nothing but Hitomi's smile and Hitomi left shortly after her strange words. 

Celena blinked and wondered a little about her classmate. The first day Hitomi had introduced herself and suggested they be friends. Celena, having no qualms about having new friends, accepted her offer and found Hitomi to be a very pleasant person. However, Celena had the distinct feeling from day one that Hitomi was no ordinary girl. 

Van stepped up to Celena after getting his things and said, "Hitomi is a bit of a psychic," he explained. "She has visions of the future." 

"Hontou (Really)?" Van nodded and Celena made a strange face. "Weird…"   
  
******   
  


"Kuso…" Dilandau said. After the incident with Van Fanel, his main concern was to find his sister and see if anything strange was going on between them. He didn't need Celena to get in the way of his plans to destroy Van Fanel. He had to make sure Celena had nothing to do with her, but he hadn't any luck finding her before the time it was his lunch period. Dilandau was eased by the fact he would surely see her at lunch. 

_Van Fanel…temee…_ Dilandau thought, giving Van the credit for making things complicated. _Soon I'm going to--_

Dilandau's thoughts ceased as he ran into someone. It threw him off for a minute before his foul mood came back to him. He angrily stared ahead, ready to hurt the person who had dared to cross his path. 

"Where the hell do you think you're going??" Dilandau barked as he backed up to see whom he had hit. 

"Gomen ne, Dilandau-kun." Dilandau instantly was removed of any intentions to harm anyone, seeing her vibrant smile. 

"Kan…Kanzaki?" 

Hitomi laughed, inviting Dilandau to share her jovial disposition. "It's all right for you to call me Hitomi," she said. 

Dilandau held back his urge to slip into Hitomi's pleasant mood and placed a frown on his face. "Where did you disappear to yesterday?" he asked. 

"Van needed me for something, so I had to leave to help him," Hitomi said without a sound of guilt. 

"Fanel??" Dilandau said as if fire was coming out of his mouth. He stepped closer to Hitomi. "What exactly is Fanel to you??" 

Hitomi's brows lowered, but her smile remained. "Dilandau-kun," she said, "don't let your anger cloud your better judgment. If you do, you won't like the consequences it will bring." 

Dilandau's frown deepened. "Nan da?" 

"Dilandau-san?" Recognizing the voice, Dilandau looked behind him and saw Shesta approaching. 

Dilandau blinked and quickly gazed back ahead. His mouth dropped open, seeing the empty space. Dilandau cursed and stared ahead as if that would force Hitomi to appear again. 

"Is there something wrong, Dilandau-san?" Shesta asked, having heard Dilandau curse when Shesta stood next to him. 

Dilandau whirled around and grabbed Shesta by his shoulders. "Did you see her??" he demanded. 

"Wh…Who?" Shesta asked, frightened by the intensity in his leader's eyes. 

"The girl I was talking to!" 

"You-You-You were talking to someone? I…I…I must have not n-n-noticed. Wh-Wh-Who was it?" 

"Damnit!" Dilandau threw Shesta back, ignoring when Shesta tripped and fell on his back. 

"Ouch…" Shesta mumbled, rubbing his back as he sat up. He slowly got to his feet, eyeing his frowning leader as if he was a nearby rattlesnake Shesta wanted to avoid attracting its attention. 

Dilandau turned back to where he had been talking to Hitomi, unable to make sense of her disappearance again. "If I let my anger could my better judgment, I won't like it's consequences…" he muttered. "What the hell does that mean??" 

"Di…Dilandau-san?" Shesta said almost as if he didn't want Dilandau to hear. "What…What are you talking about?" Shesta jumped as Dilandau faced him as though he were going to murder him. 

"Shesta," Dilandau said too softly for Shesta's comfort, "is there any reason you interrupted me?" 

_Oh, God, he's in a terrible mood!_ Shesta realized. _Maybe this isn't my lucky day at all…_ "Be-Be-Be-Bestu…ni (N-N-N-Not really)…" Shesta struggled to say. "I-I-I just…just saw you in the hall…and thought…thought I would t-t-talk to you…" 

His answer didn't seem to pacify Dilandau but add more fuel to his fiery temper. "Sou desu ka (Is that right)?" 

Shesta wiped the sides of his face, wet from his nervous sweating. _Oh, no, I'm going to get my ass kicked for whatever I did wrong,_ Shesta thought. _Kuso! Why did I pick this moment to run up to Dilandau??_

"Um…um…" Shesta prayed some words would come to him that would help him appease Dilandau. His prayers weren't answered but his cell phone ringing did cause an appropriate distraction. Shesta blinked and took it out of his pocket. 

"Why the hell do you have that ringer turned on during school hours?" Dilandau asked, somewhat less angry. 

"Just in case of emergencies…" Shesta said, hoping it wasn't one. He frowned and answered his phone. "Hello? …What's wrong? …What??" 

Shesta let out a growl. "All right, I'll be there as soon as I can," he said before ending the call. 

"Doushita no (What's wrong)?" Dilandau asked, mildly interested. 

"Will got suspended from school," Shesta answered. 

Dilandau grinned. "Nani? What for?" 

"A fight." He pocketed his cell and looked pleadingly at Dilandau. "Is it all right for me to miss the rest of school? I'll have to wait until the babysitter comes by before I can leave Will at home." 

"Do what you have to do," Dilandau said, waving his hand, "but how are you going to leave?" 

Shesta grinned the tiniest bit. "You know how good friends the guidance counselor is with my mom," he said. "Since that woman thinks of me like her son, she'll surely let me borrow her car and make sure all my absences for the rest of the day are excused." 

Dilandau snorted. "Sou ka (I see). Check with someone later about tonight's plans." 

"Hai. Ja, Dilandau-san." 

Dilandau watched as Shesta left, thinking of Hitomi's words again. "Letting your anger cloud your better judgment, huh?" he said. _Will must have done that,_ he thought, _and now he has to face the consequences._   
  
******   
  


"Shesta ran away before we were able to get him back," Viole said, sitting in his regular seat at the Ryuugekitai's lunch table. 

"That just means we'll get him _tonight,_" Guimel said. He and Viole laughed in agreement. 

"I couldn't ever take responsibility of my siblings like Shesta does, if I had any brothers or sisters," Gatty muttered. 

"I'm glad I'm an only child," Miguel said. 

"I wish I was," Viole and Guimel said. 

Dallet ran his finger along the rim of his soda can. "It's not so bad," he said. "Me and my sister get along pretty well." 

"I think we all know why that is," Miguel muttered. Viole and Guimel laughed while Dallet glared at them. 

Dilandau made an irritated sound, discouraging the others from saying any more. "Are you guys going to go off on a tangent _every_ time I tell you something??" he snapped. He ignored their apologies, his foul mood still with him. "Speaking of Shesta anyway, I told him earlier today that I would show everyone who Celena is. I'm sure someone can inform him later of this 'mystery.'" 

"Hai, Dilandau-san," the Ryuugekitai said. 

"Now," Dilandau said, glancing around the cafeteria, "where is that girl…?"   
  
******   
  


"I hope you don't hate us for lying," Terry said. She kept pushing up her glasses though they were well positioned on her nose. "We're really sorry." 

"Yeah, really sorry," Liliana said. She laughed nervously. "We thought it was better you learned at home or something." 

"We didn't want you to get upset at school," Ferra added. 

"It's okay, it's okay," Celena said, waving her hands. "I'm just glad I found out before I saw Dilandau do something wrong. If I saw him walking with the Ryuugekitai and figured out he was the leader, I think I would have been more shocked." 

"Are you really going to be all right?" Terry asked. She had finally stopped messing with her glasses. 

Celena nodded and made a serious face. "This just makes me more concerned about Dilandau," Shesta said. "I never knew things had gotten this bad… I have to make him change his ways." 

"Are you out of your mind??" Liliana said. She held handfuls of her blonde hair. I don't even think you, his sister, are capable of that." 

"I can't see anything short of jail time and therapy turning Dilandau around," Terry said, tapping her forehead. 

Celena frowned. "You guys are wrong," she said. "I can make my brother a better person." 

"Okay, maybe you can," Ferra said for the sake of argument, "but you should still be careful about it. Yeah, Dilandau is your brother, but he also has a stranglehold on the school. If you make him angry with your good intentions, he might take it out on the school." 

"That wouldn't happen…" Celena said, though she were unsure herself. 

"I hate to say it, but we know your brother better than you do," Terry sighed. "Last year Dilandau had gotten a bad haircut one week and so he had the Ryuugekitai beat up anyone who had a nice haircut or haircut he didn't like. Several people didn't get haircuts for months to avoid Dilandau's wrath." 

"Yeah, so many guys looked so ugly during that time with their terrible hairdos…" Liliana said. 

"How could they gain so much power??" Celena said. She couldn't imagine something like this being true outside a book or television. 

Ferra folded her arms across her chest. "The Ryuugekitai has been building power ever since middle school, so when they came to high school several people were already afraid of the Ryuugekitai and those who didn't know them learned from those who did. Also the Ryuugekitai has hassled the school to add to people's fear." 

celena released a breath. "I'm sorry my brother caused you so much trouble," she said. "I feel partially responsible." 

"No way," Liliana said. "Dilandau is Dilandau and you are you." Ferra and Terry agreed. 

Celena nodded and rose from the lunch table. "I'm going to get some fries," she said. "I'll be right back." 

"Mou!" Liliana said once Celena was gone. "I feel bad for Cel!" 

"Maybe Celena _will_ be able to change Dilandau around," Terry said," changing her opinion to raise hope. 

"One can only hope," Ferra said. She pulled off the crust off her sandwich, having little appetite at the moment. "Hey you guys know that Cel was talking to Shesta earlier?" 

"Uh, why?" Terry said. "Oh, wait. I guess she didn't know who he truly was." 

"Uhn. She was being _real_ friendly with him." 

"You mean Cel was flirting with him??" Liliana guessed. 

"Maybe." Ferra held up her hands to stop Liliana from doing any more assuming. "Whatever she was doing talking with him, I got her away from him as fast as I could. We all know even the 'sweet' Shesta is no good." 

"Yeah," Terry said. 

"Sumimasen (Excuse me)." The male voice grabbed their attentions. 

Liliana blushed and smiled as if seeing a movie star. "You're Van Fanel, right?" 

"Aa," Van said, standing between where Terry and Ferra were sitting. "Sorry to interrupt, but I was told you guys were Schezar-san's friends." 

"Yes, we are," Terry said, "but what do you want with Celena?" 

Van rubbed the back of his head, but kept his face from revealing his concern. "I just wanted to apologize to her again about telling her about Dilandau," he said. 

Liliana pointed a finger at him. "It was you!" she exclaimed. 

Terry glared at him. "You ruined everything!" she said. 

"How could you??" Ferra demanded. 

"Uh…" Van began thinking of retreat. 

The girls laughed and stopped pretending. "Just kidding," they said. 

"We should have told her the first day, but we didn't have the guts to," Ferra said while Liliana and Terry continued to laugh. "We're glad you told her in a way that didn't destroy her." 

Van frowned and muttered a thanks. "So where's Schezar-san?" he asked. 

"Getting some fries from the cart over there," Ferra said, pointing to the other area of the cafeteria. 

"Thanks," Van said before leaving. 

Liliana grinned, telling her friends what she was thinking before she opened her mouth. "I wonder if Fanel-san likes Celena." She giggled while her friends rolled their eye at her. "_Everyone_ likes her--she's so lucky." 

"Lucky to be related to Dilandau?" Ferra said. "I don't think so."  
  
******   
  


Dilandau was in a good position that he could see students moving around in most of the area where food could be purchased. He hadn't seen Celena yet, but he was sure if he kept watching the area, his sister would pop up. Dilandau, of course, would never lower himself to actually getting up to find her, especially if it meant venturing to the "good" side of the cafeteria. 

"Oi, Miguel," Dallet said lowly. "Have you seen that cute girl again?" 

Miguel snorted. "Even if I did, I wouldn't tell _you,_ he said in the same tone. 

"Kusotare me (Shithead)…" Dallet said. 

"I wonder if we've actually seen her before and didn't notice," Gatty said, speaking as softly as the others. He, like his friends, had no desire to let Dilandau, who seemed to be surveying the area like a hawk, hear him. 

"I think if it was Dilandau-san's sister, we would have realized it at some point," Viole said. 

"Dilandau-san's so noticeable, his twin surely would catch our eyes," Guimel added. 

"I don't remember Dilandau's twin looking too much like him," Gatty said. 

Dilandau, having tuned out the conversation the Ryuugekitai was having, finally spotted his sister in a line for one of the food carts. "There she is," he said more to himself than to the others. 

The Ryuugekitai tried to look in the direction Dilandau's eyes seemed to be fixed on. "Where?" they said almost in unison. 

"She's the one wearing the blue skirt and white blouse in that line over there," Dilandau said. 

Viole, Gatty, and Guimel had to move so they could see the line, but their reactions were no different from Miguel and Dallet who had a pretty clear view from their seats. "Oh, shit…" Viole said, the first to verbally express his shock. 

"That's…Celena??" Guimel said. 

"Shimatta (Oh, crap)…" Dallet muttered. _I'm glad I found out before I tried anything…_ he thought. 

_Man, I wonder what would have happened if Dilandau saw me hitting on the sister he said to ignore…_ Miguel thought. _That could have been really bad…_

Gatty put a hand to his head. _Damn, I would have never guessed,_ he thought. _Even though now I see the resemblance…_

"What the hell are you all surprised for?" Dilandau asked. He began to get heated, believing they thought she looked a lot like him. 

"Bestu ni," his friends said at different intervals. 

Dilandau's frown turned nastier. "I _hate_ that she is at my school," he said almost as if he were talking to Celena. 

Dilandau, continuing to watch his sister, nearly gasped when he saw Van approach Celena. By that time only Dallet and Miguel were still observing her while Gatty, Guimel, and Viole had sat back down in their seats with uneasy expressions. None of Dilandau's friends had noticed how wide his eyes were at that moment. 

"Isn't that Fanel?" Miguel asked. The three that couldn't see rose from their seat and stood where they could see again. 

"Looks like he's hitting on her…" Dallet commented. 

Dilandau balled up his fists and began to shake, but it wasn't until he saw Van put his hand on Celena's shoulder that he felt something inside him snap. Everything was gone from his vision except Van and Celena smiling at each other as they spoke. 

Dilandau's annoyance finally came to his friends' view when Dilandau suddenly stood with a vicious stare. For a moment all the five could do was watch Dilandau as if they were afraid speaking to him would cause his rage to be targeted on themselves. Gatty was the only one able to overcome the fear and call out to Dilandau, but Dilandau went on as if Gatty didn't exist. 

Van and Celena only noticed Dilandau when he was standing a foot from them. "Di…Dilandau…" Celena said, expressing concern from both his unexpected arrival and his deadly look. 

"Sche--" Van began before Dilandau shoved Celena away from Van. 

Celena cried out and managed to gain her balance before she fell over. She didn't know whether she should be pondering Dilandau's reason for shoving her almost into a table six feet back or be embarrassed by all the attention Dilandau's action had brought upon her. Of course, those in the cafeteria were also watching Dilandau and Van closely. 

"What the hell are you doing??" Van asked, the noise in the cafeteria only dropping a little from his words. 

"I warned you," Dilandau said so lowly that Van only realized Dilandau had spoken because his lips had moved. 

Just as Van thought to ask Dilandau what he had said, Dilandau's fist came flying across Van's face. In the process, Van was knocked back several feet, fell onto the cafeteria floor, and slid back underneath a table so that his back slammed against the table's metal supports under it. Celena, though not the only one, gasped at the sight and covered her mouth with both hands. The cafeteria was in an uproar at Dilandau's action; those that hadn't seen what happened, running to an area in the cafeteria where they could see Dilandau and Van. 

Van, experiencing pain in both his face and back, slowly wiped blood trickling from his mouth, but did not try to get on his feet yet. Dilandau hadn't moved, merely standing there staring evenly at Van on the floor. Dilandau still had no awareness of the students talking around him, nor the teachers who had witnessed his attack. 

The Ryuugekitai, though fully competent of Dilandau's bad tempter, were astonished just like the rest of the students. "Dilandau-san just knocked the shit out of Fanel!" Viole said. The others, except Gatty, began to murmur about Dilandau and what his intentions were. 

_What the hell was Dilandau thinking??_ Gatty thought as teachers began to settled down the excited students and approach Dilandau. _He's never done anything like that in public…_   
  
******   
  


"I can't believe I had to leave school to take you home," Shesta said, turning right at an intersection. 

"Sorry," William said, head turned toward the door's window. "I couldn't get kaasan; they told me she was too busy at the hospital to take my call." 

"It's just as well," Shesta sighed. "If I talk to kaasan first, she might not be very angry." 

"Okay. 

"We're gonna have to change the story." 

"Huh?" William finally looked at his older brother. 

"We're not gonna tell kaasan the real reason you got into a fight." 

"Why?" 

Shesta scowled. "We don't wanna worry her that we're having problems without tousan being here," he explained. "I told kaasan a long time ago that everything would be fine as long as I was there. Do you want kaasan to worry??" 

"Iie, demo--" 

"Then don't tell her you got into a fight because kids teased you about tousan running out on our family," Shesta said. "We'll say you fought because some kid hit you first or something like that." 

William gripped his seat belt tightly and nodded. "Okay," he said. The two remained silent until they arrived home. 

Once William had entered the house, he tried to rush up to his room. "Matte, Will," Shesta said as William started up the stairs. Shesta lifted his scowl and smiled at his brother. "Don't worry about our bum of a dad; you're perfectly fine without one. Unlike tousan, I'll always be there for you, so don't worry what those other kids say." 

William returned the smile. "Hai, oniichan," he said. 

"Just because you're suspended for three days doesn't mean you can have fun!" Shesta called up to him after William had fully ascended the stairs. "You're grounded without television, computer, or video games!" 

"What am I supposed to do then??" William whined back. 

"I don't know, but you better have all your makeup work done by the time you go back to school!" 

"Hai…" The sound of William stomping to his room and his door closing was heard after that. 

Shesta sighed and was glad William had been suspended a few days in elementary school instead of high school. Suspension in high school, at least in Shesta's opinion, looked a great deal worse on one's permanent record. He shook his head. 

"Suspended for three days…"   
  
******   
  


"…suspended for three days." 

"Nan da??" Dilandau had gotten his cool back by then, but Principal Adelphos was going to make him lose it again. 

"Don't even act surprised, Schezar," Adelphos said. "You attacked a student for no reason and the whole cafeteria, including the teachers that were there saw you do it. There's no way I'm letting you off with just a slap on the wrist. Thankfully Van Fanel wasn't hurt too badly, though I should have you arrested." 

Dilandau's eyes narrowed at the old man sitting behind the desk in front of him. "Do you realize what you're doing here?" he asked. 

"I'm the principal of the school!" Adelphos said, slamming a fist on his desk. "It's about time I taught you a lesson! I warned you this year would be different! I won't allow you have your way this year!" 

Dilandau gripped the arms of his chair tightly. "I thought you were a bit smarter than this, Adelphos-kouchou," he growled. 

"Let this be a warning to you that your next offense will get you expelled." 

_You'll pay for this Adelphos,_ Dilandau thought with a clenched jaw. 

The door to Adelphos's office opened and Allen entered the room. "Sorry it took me so long to get here, Adelphos-kouchou," he said. 

Dilandau glared at his brother a second before saying, "Che." Allen, in turn, frowned at Dilandau a moment before he gave his attention to Adelphos again. 

Adelphos cleared his throat. "I'm sorry to disturb you from your busy schedule, Schezar-san," he said. 

"It's no problem," Allen said. "I had someone cover for me. Now, what has Dilandau done?" 

"He punched a student today for no reason." 

Allen glanced at Dilandau who was examing his nails in boredom. "Is this true, Dilandau?" he asked. 

"Hmph, there was a reason," Dilandau said, eyes still on his nails. 

"Which was?" Allen said, trying not to be insulted by Dilandau's lack of respect. Dilandau remained silent, causing Allen's temper to flare. "Dilandau!" 

"I have to admit, Schezar-san," Adelphos came in, "Dilandau is a bit of a problem at our school. He and his buddies cause trouble all the time." 

Dilandau's interest in his nails faded quickly. "What the hell??" he said, staring at Adelphos in outrage. "It's none of Allen's business what I do at school!" 

"I'm your guardian," Allen said, pointing to himself. "I need to know this sort of thing!" 

"The bottom line is I'm suspended for three days," Dilandau said, barely grasping his cool. "I hit Fanel and had no reason to do so--can we leave now??" 

"After your brother signs this discipline slip," Adelphos said, shaking his head. 

Dilandau stood up as the principal handed Allen the discipline slip and a pen. Dilandau growled and tapped his foot impatiently as Allen signed the slip. As soon as Allen had finished, Dilandau exited the office, slamming the door behind him. Allen turned to the closed door, amazed at how little common decency his little brother had. 

"I'm terribly sorry about Dilandau," Allen said, turning back to Adelphos. 

"I hope you can get your brother together," Adelphos said grimly. "He's definitely on the path to spend the rest of his life in prison." 

"Wakatta (I understand)," Allen said, frowning. "If you'll excuse me." 

Allen's frown remained when he stepped out of the principal office and saw Dilandau beside a group of five boys. Dilandau was handing his car keys to one with light brown hair while telling the others not to worry about him. Allen took the opportunity to memorize their faces, assuming they were Dilandau's troublesome friends. 

"I'll talk to you guys later," Dilandau concluded. He noticed his friends seemed apprehensive and ran off seconds after he was finished with his words. Dilandau turned back to see Allen glaring not unlike himself, making Dilandau assume his brother had scared off his friends. "Thanks for showing up, _oniisan._ You were a _big_ help." 

"For once, Dilandau," Allen said, ignoring his sarcasm, "you and I are really going to talk and this time you're going to listen." 

"You can talk, but I can't guarantee I'll listen," Dilandau said purposely trying to tick Allen off. Allen was indeed ticked off, the grinding of his teeth a telltale sign. 

"Dilandau--" 

"Dilandau!" Celena said as she came running up to the hall outside the principal's office. She seemed a bit relieved to see her oldest brother there as well. "Allen…what's going on?" 

"Unfortunately your brother has been suspended for three days," Allen reported. "On just the second day of school, no less." 

"Oh, no…" Celena said. She looked at Dilandau with sympathy, but he avoided her gaze. 

"Hmph," Dilandau said, seeming impatient again. 

"Why did you hit Fanel-san?" Celena asked. 

"It doesn't concern you," Dilandau said. He walked past her. "So mind your own business. Are we leaving or what, Allen??" 

Celena turned in the direction Dilandau was leaving and let out a breath. "Don't worry about your brother," Allen said, touching her shoulder as he went after Dilandau. "I'll talk to him at home." 

Celena sighed once Allen and Dilandau were gone. "You guys fought all morning…" she said. "I'm sure that's all you'll do at home…"   
  
******   
  


Shesta turned off the family room's TV as he heard the front door open. Leaving the den and walking to the foyer, he saw Olivia and the babysitter, Karen, entering the house. Karen blinked at him as she took the keys out of the front door's key hole. 

"Shesta?" she said. 

"Oniichan!" Olivia said. She rushed over to him and wrapped her arms around Shesta's leg. 

"Okaeri (Welcome home), Livvy-chan," Shesta said, rubbing her head gently. 

"Are you staying home all day or something?" Karen asked. She closed the door behind her. 

Shesta shook his head. "I was just waiting for you so Will wouldn't be home by himself," he said. 

"Will's home? Is he sick?" 

"Iie, he had a bit of trouble at school, so I had to take him home early. Um, is it possible for you to baby sit in the morning and afternoon for the next three days? I'll pay you extra, of course." 

"I don't know…" Karen said. "I guess since my classes are in the evening it's possible, but I would be here almost all day…" 

Shesta displayed his trademark puppy-dog face. "I'll pay you triple what I normally pay you," he said as if he was desperate. "Please?" 

Karen indeed fell for his little tactic. "Aww, you are so sweet!" she said, rubbing his cheek. "I never met a guy who was so concerned about his younger siblings. How could I say no to such an adorable face like yours?" 

"Uh…" Shesta said, blushing, "arigatou. I really appreciate it." 

"Why's your face red, oniichan?" Olivia asked, having been staring up at him during his and Karen's conversation. 

"Uh…no reason." Shesta laughed for a moment and then smiled down at his sister again. "Hey, why don't you go watch television, Livvy-chan?" 

"Yay!" Olivia said, finally letting him go and running to the family room. 

"Are you staying for a while?" Karen asked. 

"I'm not sure," Shesta said. "I need to make a phone call and then pick up the guidance counselor from school. I borrowed her car so I could leave school early." 

"I see," Karen said. She smiled as she passed him. "Well, I'll let you get to that then." 

Shesta waited until he was sure Karen was gone before he pulled out his cell phone. "School should be out by now," he said. His first instinct was to call Dilandau, but he wasn't sure Dilandau would be out of his bad mood. Instead, Shesta dialed Gatty's number and waited for his friend to pick up. 

"Hey, it's me," Shesta said when Gatty had answered. "…Will's fine; I just had to wait for the babysitter to come by. So, what did Dilandau say our plans were for tonight?" As Shesta listened to what Gatty told him, his eyes widened in shock. "Three days?? I can't believe it!" 

Shesta rested his hand on his chin as he listened to the rest Gatty had to add. "Wow, Allen must be serious to do that," he said. "Hmm…well, maybe I can get through to Dilandau-san. …Well, it'll only work if Allen has forgotten who I am." 

Shesta laughed and nodded as if Gatty could see him. "I tell you later if what I'm thinking works or not. …All right--ja." He turned off his phone and put it back into his pocket. 

"I can't believe Dilandau got suspended," Shesta said. He took out the keys from his pocket. "I'm going out for a while!" 

Shesta was out of the door before he made sure Karen had heard him. Though Dilandau didn't live terribly far away, Shesta still preferred to drive to his house than to walk. In the car, it only took Shesta about ten minutes to reach Dilandau's house. Before exiting the car, he grabbed his book bag and prepared himself to look as innocent as he could. People usually didn't believe him when he claimed his sweet image didn't come as easily as it looked. 

Shesta rang the doorbell and patiently waited for someone to answer. In about a minute the door opened and Allen stood in the doorway. Shesta had to admit that Allen's suspicious stare was making him a little nervous. 

"Can I help you?" Allen asked. 

"I'm a classmate of Schezar-san's," Shesta said, smiling to cover his tension. "I was sent by the school to bring him his assignments." 

Allen stared at Shesta for a while as if trying to determine if he was telling the truth or not. "You seem a bit familiar," he said. 

Shesta forced himself to keep his cool and quickly thought of a way around Allen's comment. "I live in the neighborhood," he said. "That's why the school thought it was best for me to bring Schezar-san's assignments." 

"Well, give them to me and I'll make sure he gets them," Allen said. 

_Kuso…_ Shesta thought before getting an idea again. "I suppose that's fine, but I think that I really need to explain to Schezar-san how to do the science assignment," he said. "It's really tricky and our teacher is really specific on how we should do our work." 

"Well…all right," Allen said reluctantly. "I didn't want Dilandau to have his hoodlum friends visiting him, but I guess you can come in a for a while." 

"I won't be long," Shesta said as Allen let him enter the house. "I have to pick up someone in about a half hour." 

"Dilandau's in the den," Allen said, after closing the door. He pointed to the left. 

"Okay," Shesta said, though fully aware of the den's location. He walked in, not seeing Dilandau right away. "Dilandau-sa--" 

Shesta saw a vase hit the wall and soon saw that Dilandau had been the one to throw it. He stood staring at the wall, muttering about who Allen thought he was. For a moment Shesta thought of leaving and coming back, but he thought it was necessary to continue. 

"A…Ano…" Shesta said. 

Dilandau snapped his head toward the family room's doorway. "Shesta?" he said, looking ten degrees less angry. "How'd you get in here?" 

"I told Allen I was a schoolmate of yours here to bring your assignments," Shesta said, stepping farther into the room. 

Dilandau smirked and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm surprised Allen didn't remember you," he said. He looked even calmer as he sat down and motioned for Shesta to sit with him. 

"It's ironic you and Will got suspended at the same time and for the same length of time," Shesta said. 

Dilandau frowned slightly, looking out into space. "She was right…" he muttered. 

Shesta blinked. "What did you say?" 

_Somehow Hitomi knew I was going to get suspended,_ Dilandau thought. "Don't worry about it," he said. 

"Gatty told me that Allen wouldn't let him and the others into the house," Shesta commented, "and that he's trying to prevent you from leaving the house." 

Dilandau snorted. "That fool also took my cell phone and told me if I tried to leave the house, he'd send me to a reform school or one of those troubled teenager facilities," he said. "There is no way I'm going to let that bastard send me away and let Fanel win this battle we've started. I also have to deal with Adelphos." 

"Should we do anything special in your absence?" 

"Iie. Business should go as usual. I want Adelphos to think he's won before I destroy him." 

Shesta swallowed. "Ha…Hai…" He decided to not ask the details of what Dilandau was planning, knowing he would know soon enough. "How exactly did you come about punching Van Fanel?" 

"I was just showing the others who Celena was," Dilandau said nonchalantly, "when the fool came up hanging around her like they were old friends or something…" 

Shesta noted that Dilandau seemed to be holding back his anger as he trailed off. "Well, I just felt like hitting Fanel, that's all," Dilandau said. "I should have done that on the first day." 

"Sou ka (I see)," Shesta said. _Dilandau's not that different from me when it comes to our little sisters…_ he thought. _If I thought some guy was being too friendly with Olivia, I'd have punched their lights out too._ Shesta smiled to himself and decided that Dilandau must care about Celena after all. 

Dilandau glanced at Shesta almost missing his smile before Shesta had lost it. "Why are you smiling?" he asked. 

"Uh, I was just thinking of how much pain Fanel must be in now," Shesta lied. "I'm guessing he had to go to the nurse." 

"Aa," Dilandau said, deciding to let the smile thing go. "So, why did Will get into a fight?" 

Shesta couldn't help frowning. "Some punk kids were teasing him about our father," he said. "Will got angry and started swinging." 

Dilandau smirked. "Sounds like someone else I know." 

"Except when I tried to fight back, I lost. At least it looked like Will won his fight." 

"Then it's a good thing he's modeling after the 'new' Shesta," Dilandau said on the border of teasing and being serious. "So, is being a 'demon' so bad?" 

"When did I say it was?" Shesta said, not sure how to answer Dilandau's question. 

"This morning it sounded like you were trying to condemn me and my ways," Dilandau said. The smile on his face was a good sign he didn't seem bitter about it. 

"Um, I was only trying to justify my own good intentions…" Shesta said, not taking the chance that Dilandau might get upset any way. 

"Well, don't get me and you confused," Dilandau said, grinning. "I was never an angel." 

Shesta laughed. "Hai," he said. He glanced at his watch. "I better be going. I have to go pick up the guidance counselor." 

"Sou ka," Dilandau said. "Let me borrow your cell until I get mine back from Allen. Expect me to call your house around midnight tonight." 

"Uhn," Shesta said as he gave Dilandau his phone without a second thought. 

"You're responsible for my car," Dilandau said, handing Shesta the keys. "I managed to get these back from Gatty when Allen took them from Gatty when he tried to visit. Tell the others I will get Allen to change his mind soon about locking me up in this house, so they shouldn't get comfortable with my absence." 

"Hai," Shesta said. He pocketed the keys and headed out of the room. "Ja, Dilandau-san." 

Shesta was glad he didn't see Allen when he was leaving, but he did hear a familiar voice as he grasped the knob of the front door. "Chotto matte (Wait a minute)…" he said, turning back. He crept to the room where the voice was coming from, the kitchen, and he himself as he took a peek inside. 

"Allen," Celena said, her index finger resting on her bottom lip, "I'm afraid Dilandau is only going to get angrier staying here." 

Shesta's mouth dropped open as he saw Celena and Allen sitting in the kitchen. _It's that girl!_ he thought. _Oh, shit, she must be--_

"Celena," Allen said, shaking his head, "it's better that he has some time away from his friends. I know they're a bad influence on him." 

Shesta quickly went back to the front door and out of it, finding out all he needed to know. "I can't believe it!" he said when safely outside. "That girl is Celena--Dilandau's sister! Now I see why he wants us to ignore her…" 

_Dilandau doesn't want anyone, including us, getting near his sister…_ he thought. _Demo, somehow I don't think he can really prevent that…_   
  


To be continued...   
  


--Next Chapter: Dilandau the Leader (Or perhaps a better title if one comes along). Learn about Miguel entering the Ryuugekitai and what Dilandau has in store for Adelphos-kochou. Will Hitomi give Dilandau another hint of what his future may be and will Celena finally take some action to change Dilandau around? Dunno, but I hope I get to this one some day. I'll be moving to Boston soon, so I'm no sure how things are gonna go. Until next chapter--ja! ^_^ 


	8. Dilandau the Leader, Part One

*Author's Notes: Good news! My move hasn't occurred yet, so I'll still be sending out another chapter relatively soon (with) luck. I worked hard on this chapter and I really like the first scene (*grin*), so I hope you do too. If not, oh, well. It was fun to write it, as well as imagine it. I never got the opportunity to explain the whole "Labariel-san" thing which I intended to do. I tried, but it didn't work out. Anyway, during the time when Dilandau noticed the Dragons (who they are is explained in this chapter) were in competition with him, Dilandau would address Miguel as "Labariel-san." I also didn't translate any of the Spanish words I threw in there. I guess I just didn't want people to think those were Japanese words and plus, you know, I've never taken Spanish before so I know very, very littel... Well, I hope there's not many confusing parts and I hope you enjoy. Oh, and I hope no one will do what my friend **Ann no Aku** did--if you check the review page she left an impossibly long review of the entire story up to chapter four (*sweat-drop*). I would prefer reviews were limited to single chapters or parts, as you can see that reviews would be too long if you put them all together! Just kidding. Thanks, watashi no aku nakama, and thanks to all those who reviewed last time--Enjoy! ^_^ 

  
  
** Chapter Five: Dilandau the Leader, Part One**

  
  
  


Allen had always been concerned about his little brother, especially after he dramatically changed in response to their parents' deaths. Truth be told, Allen had initially kept a laissez-faire attitude to Dilandau's method of coping with the deaths, believing that it was merely a temporary desire to direct his anger at the nearest person. However, over five years had past and nothing had changed. No, things had changed, Allen realized--Dilandau had gotten progressively worse. Allen hadn't wanted to really admit it, not wanting to condemn his brother so quickly, but Dilandau's recent mishap at school proved to Allen that he couldn't be so negligent about Dilandau's behavior. True, Allen had tried speaking to his brother and had voiced his displease about his troublesome actions with his friends, but Allen never made any great effort to really do anything about Dilandau. Whenever the thirty-something man became fed up with Dilandau, he hoped in the back of his mind that Dilandau would see the errors of his ways and clean up his act. Allen finally saw that he couldn't be so hopeful; he had taken Adelphos's words to heart. If he didn't take a firmer hand with Dilandau, his little brother could be on the path to jail or worse. 

Still, despite Allen's resolve to help his brother act a lot less like a maniac, he didn't like having to check up on him. Allen ran an illustrious fencing school in downtown Austria which kept him busier than he liked, but allowed him to give his siblings and himself a more than comfortable way of living. He had thought of giving up the school to devote more time to the twins, but Allen had already given up his previous aspires to continue competing in the Olympics and settled on the school instead (since he would have to travel more often for Olympic training). It was a nice compromise, allowing him to do what he enjoyed and still be near his family, but it was nearly as much work. Dilandau had been taking advantage of his busy schedule, and no doubt was taking advantage of it while he was "grounded" at home for five days. Allen was aware that Dilandau was letting one of his friends borrow his car during his punishment (which he hardly approved of), but Dilandau explained (in his so expertly manipulating way) that his friends were accustomed to him driving them to school and it wouldn't be very fair of him to let his punishment punish them as well. Allen knew it was bullshit, but it was already done and it prevented Dilandau from roaming the streets in his car. 

The first day of suspension when Allen had came to check up on Dilandau, nothing seemed amiss. He had been talking on the phone when Allen arrived, despite Allen telling him that he wasn't to use the phone, and it had been a relief that he was still actually at home and not destroying the house in anger. Dilandau had, in fact, appeared calm before Allen had entered, but of course when he saw that Allen had came to check up on him, his mood went from serene lake to burning forest. Allen, even though he had every reason at that moment to suspect Dilandau, felt guilty about heading home during his lunch break to see what his little brother was up to. Dilandau had been locked away in his room when Allen had came home the first suspension day and did the same the next day. 

"I can barely concentrate on work..." Allen muttered to himself as he locked his car door. It was Dilandau's third day of suspension, as well as his third day of having not left the house. Allen had always thought that if he forced Dilandau to stay home, the consequences would be far worse than if he just let him go out and do what he wanted. After all, when Allen had told him that he was grounded until Monday (which was too light of a punishment, but since Dilandau hated being home was suitable at that time), Dilandau had become furious and started breaking things in the house. Not only was that destructive, Allen didn't want to alarm Celena more than she already was. 

"He'll probably just be on the phone like he was last time," Allen said as he unlocked the front door and entered the house. He first poked his head into the family room, seeing no sign Dilandau, and then proceeded to the living room. It was empty as well as the kitchen where Allen had found Dilandau the first time. It was doubtful that Dilandau was in the dining room, but Allen went there anyway to discover his brother wasn't there either. Allen wasn't worried by the fact he wasn't in any of the downstairs rooms; it was probably more likely that Dilandau was up in his room. 

Allen shook his head as he climbed the stairs, thinking that he should have called like he had wanted to do the first day, but he supposed it comforted him more to actually see Dilandau was well, than to hear his voice and wonder what the white-haired boy was really doing at home. He was perfectly calm as he passed all the other vacant rooms and turned down the hall where Dilandau's room was located on a wall with no other adjacent rooms until he saw that for once Dilandau's door was ajar. Dilandau was adamant about his privacy and always had his door closed whether he was in the room or not. It was especially disturbing to see it open even just the tiniest bit--Allen hadn't even glimpsed into his brother's room for approximately four years. 

He gradually came to a stop just three feet away from Dilandau's door, trying to rationally explain why Dilandau's door wasn't closed. It just may have been that since Dilandau knew he would be alone all day that he didn't feel the need to be as cautious. That made sense enough for Allen to continue to Dilandau's room, but didn't shake the bad feeling he had that increased by each step. It was much worse than when he had been at work, simply imagining some of the activities Dilandau could be engaged in at home. 

"Dilan...dau...?" Allen said, just looking into the room through the crack the door was open. He gasped at what he viewed in the room. "Dilandau!" 

Allen swung open the door and ran over to his brother who appeared to be passed out beside his bed. He was definitely sprawled out as if he had fallen off his feet and his hand was still gripping a glass bottle of liquor that he had no doubt been drinking before he became unconscious. Allen called out for him again as he checked his pulse, found one, and gave a large sigh of relief. He carefully lifted up Dilandau, the bottle rolling out of his limp hand, and began to shake him in an attempt to return his brother to consciousness. Dilandau remained without respond, causing Allen's concern to heighten. 

"Dilandau!" Allen said for the tenth time. "Dilandau! Wake up!" 

Allen still failed to get his brother to open his eyes, and he finally gave up trying to wake him up and reached for the cell phone in his pocket. Just as he flipped the device open, he heard a faint chuckle. Allen turned his attention back to Dilandau to see his demonic eyes open as he grinned at him. Dilandau's laughter rose to more audible tone as lifted himself from Allen and got to his feet. Allen stared at him in total disbelief and slight horror. 

"Na....nani?" Allen said, having only moved his eyes. 

"Baka, did you really think I would pass out like that?" Dilandau said, looking down at his brother with a sneer now. "Hmph, you have such little confidence in me, ne?" 

Allen continued to stare at Dilandau in astonishment before his anger overcame him. "Dilandau, what the hell are you doing??" he said. 

"What are you talking about?" Dilandau said, nearly matching Allen's aggravated expression. "What the hell are _you_ doing? Why are you here checking up on me instead of being at work??" 

"Don't change the subject!" Allen said, standing up. He pointed to the bottle resting on the ground. "Why the hell did you pretend to be unconscious with a bottle of liquor in your hand??" 

"Liquor?" Dilandau repeated. His grin returned as he bent down to pick up the bottle and held it up to him. "You mean this?" 

Allen felt his anger rise as he read the label of the suspicious bottle. "It's apple juice," he said, knowing that Dilandau had intentionally wanted him to think that it was alcohol. 

"Hmm," Dilandau said, tapping the bottle's neck next to his chin, "you immediately jumped to the wrong conclusion. What a surprise." 

"Don't try to make me look like the bad guy!" Allen said. "Somehow you knew that I was coming and you orchestrated this whole thing! What else I was supposed to think when I found you lying flat on your face with a bottle in your hand??" 

"You could have checked the bottle first--" Dilandau started, only to produce another rise out of his brother. 

"Fuzakeru na (Cut the crap)! You scared me to death with that stunt!" 

Dilandau shrugged and walked out of his room, knowing that his brother would follow. "What do you want you from me?" he said as Allen did indeed exit from his room. "An apology?" 

"Don't you have any kind of shame??" Allen said while Dilandau closed his door and regarded Allen coolly. 

"Shame?" Dilandau laughed like someone who became giddy at the sight of people being killed. "You came barging into my room and assumed I was drinking when I was clearly not. _You_ should be ashamed of yourself for expecting the worst of me!" 

"What the hell is wrong with you??" Allen said. "I'm just worried about you!" 

"Like hell!" Dilandau said. He opened the bottle and began walking down the hall. "Checking up on me the day before yesterday wasn't enough, so you had to come back today to make sure I hadn't destroyed the house!" 

Allen ran in front of Dilandau's stopping his path. "So you thought that was enough reason to pretend to have drunken yourself into unconsciousness??" he demanded. "There is no excuse in the world to scare someone like that!!" He wondered if Dilandau was listening to him since he was drinking the juice at the time. 

"It was fun hearing your terrified voice," Dilandau said, finally bringing the bottle down from his lips. He smirked at his brother's incredulous expression. "And it serves you right." 

"You have truly become a wicked person," Allen said, experiencing a little fear of how malignant his brother was. 

Dilandau took another drink from the bottle. "So what?" he said. Noticing that his brother was too flustered at the moment to give him a response, Dilandau continued down the hall with a smug smile on his face. 

Allen put a hand on his forehead. "My God..." he said, "what am I going to do with him?"   
  
********   
  


"Um, let's see..." Miguel said, placing his pen in mouth while he crunched in some numbers in his calculator. He did a couple of calculations, wrote them down, replaced his pen in his mouth, and then crunched in some more numbers. "Hmm?" 

Miguel's eyes moved back between his paper and his calculator. He had expected the numbers to be equivalent, but something didn't add up. That bugged him a little, but it was normal for him to have to do his calculations more than once. He tried it again, taking even greater care not to make any mistakes. Sweat was bringing to build up on his forehead as he made the final calculations for the second time and came up with the same result: something was unaccounted for. Miguel's panic rose and he started over for the third and fourth time. When he reached the fifth time, he sat up in his desk and put his hands on his cheeks. 

"No!" he said, taking no heed of where he was. "It doesn't add up!!" 

"Ahem," his teacher said. "Labariel-san, if you are having problems with an equation, ask for help--do not scream." 

"Uh, hai..." Miguel said, sinking back down into his seat. He swallowed and put his pen back in his mouth and began chewing on it. "Damnit..." 

It wasn't unusual for Miguel to be assigned to compile the weekly Ryuugekitai financial report; since the time Miguel had been added to the group, Dilandau had given him the responsibility of informing Dilandau of how much money they had made within the week and how the money had been used. A great deal of the money was spent paying for the drugs that Gatty sold, as well as for the construction of the ART cards. Everyone, except Shesta who was the person trusted with actually collecting the money rather than producing it, brought in some kind of money that was reported on the papers Miguel had to hand into Dilandau this afternoon. The others had told him how much money they had spent and made regarding Ryuugekitai business and Shesta had given Miguel the total amount he was going to turn into Dilandau. That was all well and good until Miguel had been figuring out the amount of money taken in and out of their funds. The amount that would be sent to Dilandau was about a thousand less than what Miguel calculated the amount would be. Dilandau always received the money first, and then his report. The last thing he would do would be to not realize that things didn't add up. Since Miguel was given the responsibility to give the report, he would take all the consequences of irregularities, even if it wasn't his fault. 

Miguel knew he could attempt to claim in his report that the missing money was taken for some valid-appearing reason, but Dilandau was way too sharp to fall for something like that. Some of Miguel's worst experiences with Dilandau occurred during the time he and his leader were going over the report. So, of course, whenever Miguel did the report, he made sure there were no mistakes (or at least not any that he saw). It was one thing for Dilandau to comment on Miguel's activities that brought in money, but it was another thing for there to be money unaccounted for. Miguel was already sweating with a rapid heartbeat just thinking of how Dilandau would react when he saw the report. 

"This is bad..." Miguel said, not caring if he was talking to himself in class. Most people were trying to get a head start on their math homework while Miguel was taking the opportunity to do the calculations for his report. "I'm gonna be in some deep shit if I don't get this worked out..." 

Miguel was still absorbed into his work when the bell had rung and several of students had began to leave. It wasn't until he heard his teacher ask him if he needed additional help that he realized that it was time for him to go. He politely told the teacher he didn't, collected his things, and rushed out into the hall. If any of his friends could or would (sometimes his friends purposely gave him wrong information just to make Dilandau angry at him) help him, it would be Shesta. The blonde usually headed straight to class, so it was logical that Miguel headed for Shesta's next class rather than the one he had just came from. He found Shesta standing in the science hall beside Gatty. There was enough time before the next bell that it was likely Shesta would be willing to help. 

"Sou ka (Is that right)?" Shesta laughed. "I'm sure Dilandau-san will enjoy that when he gets back." 

"Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of..." Gatty sighed. He slid his thick book under his arm. "He'll probably end up burning up the whole school." Gatty was serious, but when Shesta laughed, he laughed with him. 

"Oi, Shesta!" Miguel said, running up to the two. 

"Nan da (What is it), Miguel?" Gatty said, smiling at his friend. "You look like someone's chasing after you. What, did Dallet finally find out that rumor you started about him?" 

"This is much more important than that!" Miguel said. He frowned at Gatty who was wasting his time. "Shesta, I need your help." 

"With what?" Shesta wondered. 

"My report...it doesn't add up and Dilandau's expecting it today!" Miguel said. 

Gatty laughed and pointed at him. "Oh, yeah, that is due today," he said. "Man, I'm glad I'm not you." 

"If you're not going to say anything useful, then shut the hell up!" Miguel said. He felt himself slide into an even less pleasant mood when Gatty kept quiet, but held a smirk on his face. 

"So what's the problem?" Shesta asked. He smiled, trying to ease Miguel's irritation. 

Miguel handed Shesta the papers that he was still holding. Shesta looked them over, while Gatty looked over his shoulder with interest. Gatty didn't realize the immediate problem, but Shesta, having knowledge of what the week's total funds were, understood what Miguel was worried about. Shesta to put a hand to his chin. 

"Now I see why you're freaking out," Shesta said. His brows lowered in thought. "There's money unaccounted for." 

Gatty looked at Miguel who didn't seem a bit less worried even though Shesta's knew what the problem was. "Dilandau's going to kill you," he said. 

"I thought I told you to shut up if you're not going to say anything useful!" Miguel said. 

"Hey, don't worry about it too much," Shesta said, trying to pacify Miguel once again. It was more difficult with Gatty laughing at Miguel so much. "I'm sure it's just something we've overlooked. Let's just go over the numbers one more time." 

"All right, thanks," Miguel muttered, though still glaring at Gatty. 

Gatty snorted and started walking away. "You two have fun then, I'm going to go to class early for once." 

"Che (Shit)," Miguel said, watching Gatty go. "He's getting all cocky because Dilandau-san left him in charge." 

"Well, be comforted at least that Dilandau-san told me to keep him in check," Shesta said, taking out his organizer and holding the papers in his free hand. 

"Hmph," Miguel said, even as grateful as he was for Shesta's help. "So, who's supposed to keep _you_ in check?" 

Shesta began to pull up his calculator and entering the numbers from one of the papers. "Everything is based on seniority, you know that," he said, sounding as if he wasn't really concerned about his hint of bitterness. 

"Somehow I think it's that..." Miguel said. Shesta didn't respond, which was better for Miguel who ended up simply standing there with his arms folded. Gradually, however, he forgot about the small fact that Gatty and Shesta were in charge. None of the other members of the Ryuugekitai were happy about that, this being the first time where the two were given so much power. Guimel and Viole were the most disgruntled about taking orders from the two, so much to the point that they hadn't done much of anything in the last couple of days. They constantly challenged Gatty and Shesta, making everything seem as if the two were taking advantage of their new power. Miguel didn't care whether the two were or not; he just didn't like someone other than Dilandau telling him what to do. He was glad the school week would be over in a few hours and Dilandau would be back into power on Monday. 

"Ah, naru hodo (I see)," Shesta said, ending the silence between the two. 

Miguel lost his nasty look. "Did you found out what was wrong?" he said, taking a step forward. 

"Aa (Yeah)," Shesta said. He handed Miguel his papers back. "You forgot to figure in those two loans we gave." 

"Loans...?" 

"Don't you remember? Dilandau-san started a loaning program last year. We loan unusually high amounts to people and make sure they can't ever pay us back so that they're indebted to us. Since that's Dilandau-san's own doing, I guess you didn't think to take note of that." 

"Oh..." Miguel said, slowly smiling. "I sort of remember Dilandau-san doing that toward the end of last year for, um...'helping' people who couldn't afford the school trip, I think." 

"Sou (Right)," Shesta said. He turned his organizer so that its screen was facing Miguel. "Here's the amounts of the two loans. They should make sure that the amount I give to Dilandau today is the same amount that your report claims it should be." 

Miguel took a pen from his pocket and scribbled the two numbers down. "Thanks a lot, Shesta," he said. 

"Hmm, I probably should have let you just take the heat from Dilandau," Shesta said, smiling as he nodded. "I'm sure Dilandau-san would just think _you_ took that unaccounted for money." 

"O-Oi!" 

"Joudan (Joking)." Shesta grinned at him when Miguel looked as if he wasn't amused. "Ja na (Later)." 

"Yeah..." Miguel muttered. He sighed after Shesta had went on to class and frowned at the papers in his hands. _It may be a joke to you, but Dilandau has a "no-shit" policy when it comes to this report,_ he thought. _It hurts just thinking about that one time..._   
  
********   
  


Dilandau was slowly looking over the report, while Miguel stood coolly beside him. At that time, giving Dilandau the report was nothing more than a formality. It wasn't his first time, so he was pretty used to it by now even if his membership in the Ryuugekitai was still relatively new. Dilandau had given him the special task after noticing how much money Miguel was bringing in with the betting money he collected as well as other his other ventures. It made him feel smug for the first time in the group, having to compete with Gatty and Shesta who were indisputably Dilandau's right arms. For once, he was trusted to do something that the other two weren't. 

Still Miguel was having many problems adjusting to Ryuugekitai life. He had always been tricking people out of their money for his own profit and gambling on certain things, but it was a great change for all of the money he earned to be going straight to Dilandau and having to be later distributed a lesser amount of that money. Miguel had finally figured out that Dilandau didn't want to waste time counting the money every week so he had decided a report of their funds would be less time-consuming. With this in mind, Miguel had kept a little of the money he had earned, figuring Dilandau wouldn't know the difference. 

Dilandau had finally finished reading and lowered the sheet of paper down from his face. "Miguel?" he said, staring at his inattentive cohort. 

Miguel calmly met eyes with his new leader, not yet familiar enough with Dilandau to read what his various expressions meant. "Hai?" he said. 

Miguel had never been slapped by a guy before and he had never expected to, especially at that moment. The impact of Dilandau's hand smacking his face felt equivalent to getting smacked with a thick college-edition textbook. Even before Miguel was knocked off his feet by the blow, he knew that he would be tasting blood soon. The pain inflicted upon his mouth was so great that he didn't bother to worry about how much it hurt when he fell down to the floor. He unconsciously held his throbbing face as he sat up, but his attention was mainly on Dilandau. Miguel didn't dare get up or focus on the blood he felt gathering at the side of his mouth; he was afraid if he moved too much Dilandau would hit him again. This was his first time being hit by Dilandau and he had no desire to experience the second any time soon. 

"Wha...what did I do?" Miguel asked, recognizing the ire in Dilandau's eyes now. 

"Who the hell do you think you're dealing with?" Dilandau demanded. His expression became even less affable (if possible at that moment). "This report clearly tells me that you've been keeping some of your gambling money for yourself!" 

"Na (Wha)--" Miguel said before he cut off as Dilandau bent down and grabbed him by his collar. 

"Listen very carefully, _Labariel-san_," Dilandau said, holding Miguel in a manner that was choking him but not taking any notice. "You're not in your little gang anymore, you're in mine. I make the rules and if you break them, I break you. Any money you make comes to me before you get your cut, you got that??" 

"Wa...wakatta (I...I gotcha)..." Miguel said, having more trouble breathing with Dilandau gripping his collar so tightly because his heart was beating so fast. 

"Let it happen again and I won't just slap you," Dilandau promised. He glared at Miguel while he nodded and finally let him go, dropping Miguel back against the floor. 

Miguel drew in deep breaths, holding onto his neck with one hand and his cheek with the other. Dilandau stood impatiently waiting for him to compose himself and get back to his feet. When Miguel noticed this, he rose even though he was still winded and in a lot of pain. 

"I hate people who take me for a fool," Dilandau said. "Remember that in the future." 

"Ha...hai..." Miguel said. 

Dilandau looked at the report and showed a smile for the first time since he had received it. "I don't think I'll ever see a mistake in this report again, deshou (am I right)?" he said. 

"Ne...never..." Miguel said, wiping the line of blood leaking from his mouth to his chin. Unfortunately, Miguel still had many things to learn about avoiding slaps from his new leader...   
  
********   
  


"And I had thought _that_ was the scariest Dilandau could be," Miguel said, forcing the incident out of his recollection again. He smiled as headed for his next to last class, even though he was going to late because of the time he had taken to stroll down memory lane. Dilandau's grounding had left the whole Ryuugekitai's afternoon schedules completely free. With his report not longer a problem to complete, Miguel wrote off the rest of his day as smooth sailing.   
  
********   
  


"Does it still hurt, Van?" Hitomi asked but the smile on her face suggested she was partially ridiculing him. 

"No, but his punch left an ugly bruise on my face," Van said, placing his hand over the gauze bandaged over his cheek. "I still don't have a clue why the hell he did that." 

"Hmm," Hitomi said, leaning back against the lockers. 

Van raised a brow at her. "You know something, don't you?" he asked. 

"Iie," Hitomi said, shaking her head. She laughed when Van gave her a doubtful look. "I'm serious. If I knew everything about everything, then life wouldn't be any fun." 

"I guess so..." Van said, frowning. He lowered his hand and sighed. "Che, and I thought that Dilandau's suspension would make his lackeys cool down, but they're still doing the same stuff as before!" 

"Of course," Hitomi said. She watched a couple of people pass them in the hall. "Dilandau-kun is only suspended, not expelled." 

"Yeah, that yarou (jerk) is coming back Monday," Van muttered. Then he noted more upon what Hitomi had said. "Hey, why is it that you call Dilandau 'Dilandau-kun?'" 

A blush lightly appeared on Hitomi's face, causing Van's eyes to widen. "Well...I just feel more comfortable calling him that..." she explained. 

For the years Van had known Hitomi, this was one of the few times he had seen her blush. She hardly ever became embarrassed or caught off-guard; she always seemed to be expecting most things that would normally faze someone who would be oblivious of things to come. Now Hitomi was blushing while she was explaining her reasons for addressing Dilandau so casually? 

"Hitomi," Van said, slowly realizing something he hadn't since he discovered that Hitomi knew Dilandau a long time ago, "do you remember when you told me that you didn't want to go out with me because you didn't want to date anyone at the time?" 

"Of...of course..." Hitomi said, looking at Van and seeing the serious expression on his face. She knew where he was going, but she had no desire to prevent him from going on. 

"The reason you don't..." Van said, feeling his anger increasing by each word he spoke, "is because of Dilandau, isn't it??" 

"Come on, Van!" Hitomi said, waving her hands. Her blush was much more noticeable this time and she turned his back to him. "That was a year ago I told you that. I didn't know at that time I was going to meet Dilandau-kun again." 

"Oh, yeah right!" Van said, rolling his eyes. "This explains why you didn't tell me about you knowing him!" 

"Van," Hitomi said, facing him again, "I may have the gift of seeing in the future from time to time, but I don't always know what's going to happen, especially when it concerns me. I usually get visions of what will happen to others, not myself." 

"I still think Dilandau has something to do with you rejecting me," Van insisted. He clenched a fist. "If you didn't like him like that, you would have told me about him sooner or at least not defend him so much after he attacked me for no reason." 

"I'm sure Dilandau-kun had a reason that we just don't know--" 

"See! You're defending him!" Van pointed at her as if accusing her of a crime. "You have a thing for him, don't you??" 

Hitomi sighed and lowered her glance to the floor. "Even if I did, he makes me uncomfortable to be around him," she said, deciding to neither deny his statement or confirm it. "Every time I talk to him I manage to speak casually, but the first chance I get, I run off. Not only does it not help me become more comfortable around him, it really seems to be making him mad." 

"So even you are afraid of him," Van said. He folded his arms over his chest. He knew by her reply that she wasn't going to give him a straight answer, at least at the moment. 

"Iie, it's not like that," Hitomi said. "It's...it's..." 

"I can't wait until Dilandau-sama comes back!" a girl said as she passed with six other girls. 

"Me either!" another one screeched. "I missed seeing his beautiful face around campus!" 

Van glanced at the girls as they passed, disgusted at their open attraction to Dilandau. "Geez, don't those girls even realize what a monster he is??" he said. 

"That's one of the problems," Hitomi said, after the girls had passed. "Dilandau-kun is almost as popular as he is feared. It kind of makes it intimidating to be in his presence. He probably doesn't realize I'm a bit nervous around him, but I'm hoping to change that soon." 

Van let out a frustrated sigh. "I can't believe this!" he said. He started off. "First I get punched out on the second day of school and now this!" 

Hitomi smiled, though she knew that it was going to take a lot of talking to pacify Van once again. "I wish I could have foreseen this was coming..." she said. That was the curse of her gift; sometimes it failed to help her when she needed help the most.   
  
********   
  


"Oh, come on, Cel," Liliana said. She sat down beside Celena on the bench. "What's the point of spending all weekend with Dilandau? I mean, you told us that even though he's been grounded you've still barely seen him." 

"I know, but I want to talk to him about being the leader of the Ryuugekitai," Celena said. Her eyes were set forward, watching the buses that pulled up in front of the courtyard. "This weekend might be a good chance, so if I just stay home eventually we'll see each other." 

"What are you going to say to him, exactly?" Terry asked on her other side. "'Hey, Dilandau, I heard you're the leader of the Ryuugekitai. Do you mind not terrorizing everyone at school?'" Celena frowned a little at her negative comment, but didn't respond. 

"Seriously, Celena," Ferra said next to Terry, "judging by what you've said about Dilandau, he's not going to want you to get into his business. We're not saying that you should just ignore the fact you're brother's a hor…unpleasant person. We're saying that you need to hang out with us this weekend and have some fun--you know, take your mind off your problems with Dilandau." 

"How's that going to help?" Celena said. She looked at each of them in turn. "You guys, I couldn't sleep for the past two days, thinking about how much Dilandau has really changed! I mean, he purposely tries to make people miserable! He's like those teenage thugs you hear about on talk shows!" 

"Yeah, but what if he decides to do something to you since you're sticking your nose where it doesn't belong?" Terry asked. "Don't you think it would be better relaxing than worrying yourself sick about Dilandau?" 

"Well--" 

"I don't think you outta confront Dilandau unless you have a plan," Liliana said. She began tapping her fingers on her lap. "From what I've seen of him, only his friends, other thugs like him, and pretty girls are the people he'll talk to without getting annoyed." 

"Well…" Celena said again as she took in consideration what her friends had said, "I have thought about talking to his friends about him. Maybe they'll tell me how I should approach Dilandau." She looked at her friends again as they all made sounds of discord. "What?" 

"That is a stupid--" Liliana began. 

"What Lily means is," Ferra interrupted, giving her blonde friend a look, "that will never work. Dilandau's friends are like his puppets. They don't move, think, or breathe without Dilandau's command." 

"Plus, you can't trust them," Terry added. "I mean, take Miguel Labariel. I don't know how many people I know that have been cheated by that jerk. He'll start up bets like who'll win football games and no matter what, those who betted on the most likely team to win will always lose." 

"They can't _all_ be bad," Celena said. "I thought Shesta seemed very nice--" 

"If you're a member of the Ryuugekitai, you're bad," Liliana said. "They're all rotten kids. If they weren't, they wouldn't be with Dilandau." 

Celena sighed and looked ahead again, noticing her bus had arrived. "I guess you three would know better than I would," she said. She picked up her book bag resting next to her feet and put it on her back. "I'll get back to you guys later on whether or not I want to hang out this weekend." 

Her friends gave Celena an usual farewell as left, but as soon as she boarded the yellow vehicle, their expressions turned serious again. "Cel is so going to try to talk to Dilandau's friends!" Liliana said her eyes wide with disbelief. 

"Yep, you can see it in her eyes," Terry agreed. "She's totally determined." 

"That's just perfect--perfect!" Liliana said. She stood and began walking around in mild amazement. "We've managed to keep her from bumping into those guys as little as possible this week, but if she goes out of her way to talk to them, we won't be able to stop her." 

"And that's why Celena's got to get out this weekend," Ferra said. "Knowing her, even if she has a bad encounter with Dilandau by confronting him with what she knows, that'll only make her want to get involved with the Ryuugekitai even more. We've gotta convince her that those guys, even the 'sweet' Shesta, are not kids she or anyone else should mess with. If we don't convince her, who knows what that scum will do to her." 

"I'm totally with that plan," Liliana said as Terry nodded. "Cel's going out with us this weekend whether she wants to or not."   
  
********   
  


Miguel didn't know about the others, but he decided to use his free time to do some of the things he hadn't had the luxury to do since the day he joined the Ryuugekitai. Dallet had tried to coax him into clubbing with him (after coaxing Shesta to take advantage of having the use of Dilandau's car), but Miguel resisted his attempts and was now sitting in his den watching television. Granted his choice of activity for the afternoon would be less entertaining, Miguel felt it was going to be much more relaxing to stay at home for once. In public he was supposed to be a Ryuu--a representation of Dilandau. Most of the time that wasn't much to be concerned about because Miguel generally liked everything about being a Ryuu. Acting as if one was one of the most powerful people in the world was like a wonderful drug that never lost the high it gave you. Still, it was better that Miguel take a breather before his head became too inflated. There were times when he was conscious of how cocky he was with his position, which was only dangerous if that smugness became a problem for Dilandau. 

"Hmph, Gatty…" Miguel muttered, changing the channel every three seconds. "Who does he think he is making a meeting on Saturday like he has the right? I'm sure Dilandau didn't give him permission to do that. Che, and Shesta and him said _I_ was the one most likely to take advantage of a situation where Dilandau was out of action for some reason. I think Gatty's the one who's having the most fun with Dilandau out of the picture for a few days." 

Miguel had finally decided on a channel that was showing a movie about a casino and made himself more comfortable on the couch. He had turned the volume up relatively high, so he didn't notice when someone shuffled into the room. Of course, since he was trying to relax, he didn't care much who was moving about either. 

"I'm surprised you're at home today," a voice said, easily recognized above the sound of the television. 

"I don't have plans tonight," Miguel said absently, though not missing the sneer in the words he had just heard. His eyes remained glued on the television. 

"You spend some much time with that Ryuugekitai." Miguel didn't respond, his attention still fully on the television. "Why you have an obsession with gangs, I'll never know. Your mother and I didn't raise you to be a thug. First it was the Dragons [1], and now the Ryuugekitai. You don't ever learn your lesson, do you?" 

Upon the mention of the Dragons, Miguel's absorption with the movie was lost and his anger was ignited. "Oi, baba (old woman)!" he snapped, taking his first glance at the short aged woman standing on the other side of the room. "I didn't choose to sit in here so I could be criticized by you all day!" 

"Don't call me by that name, you inconsiderate brat!" Labariel Baba [2] (as Miguel thought of her) said. 

"Warui (My bad)," Miguel said, rolling his eyes, "I meant _abuela._ He laughed afterwards as if that word was a joke. 

"It sickens me that you're going to be the one to carry on the Labariel name," Labariel Baba said as she sat down on the opposite side of the couch. "You come from generations and generations of highly reputable people. Your father was not only a chief of police in this city, but he also respected our culture and remained bilingual. Unlike you who refuses to learn more than what you pick up off television [3]." 

_Hmph, what good is being bilingual?_ Miguel thought, remembering why he spent little time with his grandmother. _It didn't keep him from being shot…_

"Now with my son gone, I'm left with this wretched grandson," Labariel Baba went on, "who if he doesn't end up in jail for the rest of his life, will shame our family for generations to come." 

"Urusai (Shut up)!" Miguel said, tempted to turn up the volume further so that he couldn't hear her anymore. "You sit there and criticize me, especially for speaking the language that is spoken here, and say that I'm going to disgrace the family for eternity or something. I hardly see you speaking anything other than Japanese, so why are you on my case??" 

"I speak my native language every day of my life," Labariel Baba argued. "I have plenty of friends to whom I can speak it with. Even your mother and I have conversation in Spanish from time to time, and she's lived here all her life!" 

"So what?" Miguel said, sucking his teeth. "She's told me before that she only learned it so she could impress tousan (father) and since tousan spoke it often, she remained relatively fluent. I bet she doesn't even like to speak it that much." 

"Dios mío!" Labariel Baba said, shaking her head. "Your father would be disgusted at how you've turned out. Hanging around with that despicable Dilandau… At least in the Dragons you were the leader; now you're just that horrible boy's lackey." 

"Following Dilandau is a million times better than my old gang or when I wasn't in any gang," Miguel said. He let out a breath, trying to calm himself again. "I rarely worry about him messing up or his plans failing. Despite everything we do is wrong, he's a good leader." 

Labariel Baba snorted. "That boy's name shouldn't be Dilandau--it should be 'El Diablo.'" 

Miguel let out a breath, truly sick of listening to her and finally turned up the television. He turned his glance back to the movie and tried to ignore the fact that his grandmother was still in the room. However, Labariel Baba wasn't going to be so easily ignored. 

"How does it feel to be the servant of the devil??" she demanded, her voice just barely being heard over some gunshots from the television. 

"How does it feel to be old enough to recall when fire was discovered?" he muttered, though he knew with the television's noise and her bad hearing, she wouldn't hear what he said. 

"Miguel!" 

Miguel turned down the television when he heard his name called from another room for the second time. "Hai?" he said, turning in the direction of the voice. 

"Could you come here for a second?" 

"Yeah, I'm coming." Miguel gave his grandmother a look that suggested he was grateful to get away from her before he left his family room and traveled to the kitchen. "Yes, mama?" 

Mrs. Labariel finished cutting the vegetables in front of her before turning to her son. "I need you to do me a favor," she said. "The washer is broken again, so I need you to go to the laundromat and do some laundry for me. You know how late I work, so I won't have any time to do this before tomorrow. We've barely any clothes to wear." 

"That washer's broken again??" Miguel groaned. "Why do we keep fixing that piece of junk?? I could easily buy you a new one." 

"No, thank you," Mrs. Labariel said. She turned back to her cutting board and began cutting up some chicken breasts. "I want to pay for as little things with your dirty money as possible. You just keep that for yourself. Besides, I'm capable of paying for another repair until I can afford to get another washer." 

Miguel stuffed his hands into his pockets, staring angrily at his mother's back. "I thought I was supposed to be the man of the house now," he said. "Why won't you let me buy things for the house??" 

"I don't want to use your money unless it's an emergency," Mrs. Labariel said. Though she couldn't see her son's expression, her tone softened as if she was aware of his frown. "You _are_ the man of the house in the sense that if we ever get into real financial trouble, you'll be able to help out." 

"Yeah…" Miguel said. He took out his hand from his pockets and placed it on his head, nodding several times even though his mother couldn't see. 

"I don't even have to give you any money for the machines," Mrs. Labariel added. "The clothes are in the two baskets in the guest room. Make sure you don't wash the reds with the whites again." 

Miguel made a sound indicating he understood and then shook his head. "I can't believe I'm gonna spend my Friday night like this…" he muttered to himself. 

"Maybe you need to get an honest job and quit all this Ryuugekitai business," Mrs. Labariel said, her back still turned away from him. 

"I wish I could, but it's too dangerous to get out, and it's way too profitable," Miguel said, finally showing a smile. 

Mrs. Labariel turned to him, shaking the knife at him as to scold him. "You can't keep this stuff up forever," she said. 

"I'll enjoy the ride while it lasts," Miguel said, shrugging. 

Mrs. Labariel sighed and walked over to the sink, beginning to wash off the knife. "I'm glad your father isn't alive to see how I raised you," she said. "Dinner will be ready in a few minutes, but you can eat whenever you like since I have to leave soon." 

"Hai," Miguel said. His frown had came back easily, but he left the room without another word. "Am I going to have to live in my father's shadow for the rest of my life??" It wasn't that Miguel hated his father; it was just that he didn't like to be constantly looked down upon because he didn't measure up to someone he barely knew who had been dead for several years now. Usually he avoided such unpleasant conversation with his family, but with the recent lack of afternoon Ryuugekitai business, he had been encountering it a lot. It was always the same thing, and Miguel was really getting sick of it. 

_So I'm not some big-shot like tousan was--big whoop,_ he thought, heading to his room. He had no desire to return to the family room where his grandmother was most likely still lurking around. _Being Dilandau's "lackey" is far better than being a chief of police or a gang leader, in my opinion._   
  
********   
  


"That's really…really…" Celena said, forcing herself not to say the word she was thinking. 

"It's cruel," Allen said. He began cutting his steak and then ate one of the pieces he had cut. 

"Well, I suppose…" Celena said. She sighed and only looked at her plate. _I know that this sort of thing isn't beneath this new Dilandau, but it's hard to condemn him,_ she thought. _No matter what or who he has become, it's wrong of him to do something like this to Allen. I mean, Allen has taken care of us so well ever since tousan and kaasan died…_

"At least he's not harming himself or the house," Allen said after finishing chewing. "For the moment, that's the best I can wish for." 

"How did Dilandau know you were coming?" Celena asked. 

"Saa (Who knows)? He must have a sixth sense for these sort of things." 

"Do you think he'll come down for dinner?" 

"He hasn't in a long time," Allen said. He paused to drink some water. "I don't know why we would expect him to simply because he has been cooped up in this house for a few days." 

Celena sighed and picked up her fork. "I just hope he eat something eventually," she said. 

"Starvation is the last thing I imagine Dilandau would suffer from," Allen muttered. 

Celena did begin to eat at that moment, but she stared at her older brother with a faint frown. His comments concerning Dilandau were often very nonchalant and cynical. Of course, they weren't always like that, or Celena would really be worried, but from time to time, Allen said something that suggested that he simply washed his hands of Dilandau. Celena knew for a fact that he wasn't so calm about Dilandau's situation; the day Dilandau had been suspended, they ferociously argued in the morning and afterwards when Dilandau came home early from suspension. But even if Celena was aware of those times, Allen would rarely express his discontent of Dilandau openly in front of her. Obviously their dispute that morning had meant to be a short one in private while Celena was still sleeping that had turned into something less quiet and ended up waking her as if an earthquake had occurred. When Celena though of it, she understood why Allen chose to keep his cool in front of her. She really couldn't stand hearing them fight, and it didn't solve anything. Whatever drove Dilandau to do what he did, a thorough discussion wasn't going to get rid of that drive. 

Celena was so absorbed in her thoughts as she ate that she didn't realize the phone was ringing. It wasn't until she saw Allen beginning to get up that she was aware of the ringing sound, which was on its third ring by that time. She quickly offered to get it herself, allowing Allen to continue his meal, and walked from the table to the doorway between the kitchen and the dining room. Celena supposed it was one of her friends who were determined to convince her to go out with her this weekend. 

"Hello?" Celena said. 

"Sorry to disturb your dinner, Celena-san," came the voice from the receiver. 

"Hitomi-san?" Celena blinked, not even realizing that she had her number. 

"I looked up your number in the phone book. Luckily you're the only Schezar family in this city." 

"Sou ka (I see)." Celena smiled and leaned against the doorway. "What can I do for you?" 

"Well, I was just wondering if it was possible I could come over to your house tomorrow--you know, hang out with you for a little while. I'm embarrassed to say, but I haven't made many new friends yet, and I'd like to get to know you better." 

"Over my house?" Celena repeated. She had to twist her friends' arms to get them to come over to her house (which she hadn't understood before but now knew the reason why). 

"If I'm imposing by inviting myself over--" Hitomi began. 

"Iie," Celena said, the surprise on her face replaced with delight. "I think that's a great idea. I mean, we don't get to talk much in class, and I think there's some things I'd like to talk to you about." 

"All right, I'll see you tomorrow afternoon then," Hitomi said. "Well, I'll let you get back to your dinner. Oh, and don't worry about Dilandau-kun. He ordered out some food while you were at school, so it will be a while before he's hungry again." 

"Ee (Huh)? How did you know that?" 

Celena was sure Hitomi was smiling as she heard her say, "Ja ne!" Celena didn't get a chance to give Hitomi a farewell because Hitomi promptly hung up after that. Celena remained puzzled even after she hung up the phone before she remembered about Hitomi's gift. She smiled and headed back to the table with Allen. 

"Was it telemarketers?" Allen asked as she started eating her baked potato. 

"No, it was a new friend I made," Celena said. "She's this really interesting girl from Mystic Moon." 

"Mystic Moon?" Allen repeated. 

"Why are you making such a strange face?" 

"Iie, betsu ni (No, it's nothing)," Allen said, smiling. "It's just that tousan once told me about this girl he met from Mystic Moon. He said she was the strangest person he had ever met. She was always seemed to know what he was going to do and often what he was going to say." 

"Wow," Celena said, wondering if all Mystic Moon people were like that. "My friend's a lot like that too. I wonder why more people don't travel to Mystic Moon if so many people have that ability. I'm surprised that at least Americans, who are constantly fascinated by psychics, don't storm the place [4]." 

"Apparently, it's not tourist friendly…" Allen said. "It's definitely not anywhere I'm planning a trip to anytime soon." 

_I guess that's something else I'll ask Hitomi-san about,_ Celena thought. _But my first priority is to find out more about what she may know about Dilandau. Since I know for a fact that she believes Dilandau has good qualities, it's possible that she and I can work together on this! As they say, two heads are better than one!_

Although Allen was clueless to why Celena was smiling for the rest of the meal and while she was cleaning the dishes, he didn't bother to question it. Whatever was making her so content was of little concern. It was merely comforting to see her smiling like she usually did.   
  
--Some Footnotes:  
  
[1]- I thought I ought to make the name of his other gang ironic (even though it does seem a bit uncreative ^_^)   
  
[2]- I decided that would be the best name for his grandmother since that's what Miguel calls her most of the time.   
  
[3]- Just a note if anyone hasn't guessed already. The main language spoken in Gaea is Japanese, though some of the other prevalent languages in the country are English and Spanish.   
  
[4]- Just a little bashing at Americans' repeated infomercials featuring "psychics." My favorite, of course, is Ms. Cleo (*sweat-drop*)   
  
--Next Part: Miguel does some laundry, Dilandau meets up with Celena, the Ryuugekita has a brief meeting, and Dilandau comes back to school to stir up some trouble with his principal. Well, read on if you desire to do so! 


	9. Dilandau the Leader, Part Two

*Author's Notes: Okay, this whole plan Dilandau and the others do... I know in real life they would probably get caught in all, but in my story they're all too good to get caught (besides, if they did, where would be the fun). Most schools probably have security cameras everywhere, but Zaibach doesn't (though they should with the Ryuugekitai walking around). So for entertainment purposes, just go along with everything and try to ignore flaws that would incriminate them. Well, enjoy the chapter and if you have any questions that really bother you, send me an email (I probably won't answer any questions addressed in reviews)--Enjoy! ^_^   
  


**Chapter Five: Dilandau the Leader, Part Two**

  
  
  


It had been a little troublesome lugging two heavy laundry basket four blocks from his house, but Miguel had managed to do it. There had been the option of asking his grandmother for a lift, but by the time he had chosen to eat dinner, it was past eight o'clock when he finished. Labariel Baba liked to be in bed by seven, so she was already asleep by the time he was ready to go. It wasn't as if he was above taking her car, but Labariel Baba wasn't exactly the type to trust him with her precious archaic car nor was Miguel inclined to steal it (which he could easily do). Miguel didn't feel like dealing with the "baba" for such a stupid thing as stealing a to drive a few blocks away. The walking hadn't been that long, and Miguel only felt stupid walking in the near dark with two basket for a little while. A couple of kids riding bikes laughed at him as they passed, but it wasn't anything some casual swearing couldn't fix. There were few people that Miguel couldn't curse out. 

"Man, mama wasn't kidding about there being a lot of clothes to wash!" Miguel said as he dragged the two baskets in the seemingly empty laundromat. He was glad no one seemed to be there and it was open practically twenty-four hours a day. Now that he had traveled four blocks from his house, he was in the one of parts of the city where Spanish-speaking people were more common. Luckily, most people there were bilingual so Miguel didn't have to worry about trying to get by with the few words he knew. 

Miguel finally placed the baskets in the middle of a row of machines and let out a breath in relief. Those baskets, along with the guitar on his back, were beginning to make his arms and back sore. He disturbed the amount of clothes into five adjacent washers, broke some bills into some coins, started the machines up, and then sat himself down on one of the seats facing the machines. Even if the washing cycle would be relatively quick, drying the clothes would always take a long time. This had been the reason Miguel had brought along his guitar besides the fact that he hadn't touched the instrument in a long time. He couldn't remember the last time he had the leisure to just sit back and play his guitar. 

Miguel smiled as he began to play, thinking that if any of his friends knew how he was spending his Friday night, they would laugh at him. Besides Dilandau and Dallet, Miguel was one of the most sociable Ryuus. Viole and Guimel preferred beating up people rather than hanging out somewhere and Shesta and Gatty were the most likely to just sit at home when they had the liberty to do so. In truth, Miguel didn't mind the strict social life that came with the Ryuugekitai; he liked to go out and have fun, and there was hardly a dull moment when one went out as Dilandau's crew. That had been one of the many perks of being a Ryuu that kept Miguel from regretting his decision to join Dilandau. At first, Miguel didn't think he would ever accept having to take orders from someone else, especially someone his own age. 

His quiet reflection was interrupted by someone loudly speaking to himself, or so Miguel had thought. Once he had stopped playing and took the time to look over to the side of the room with the dryers, he saw the back of a person speaking into a cell phone. Miguel frowned not only because the person was talking as if no one else was present but also because he was sure that he recognized the voice. 

"Hey, listen," the guy said, hurriedly pulling out clothes from the dryer in front of him, "you think you've got the only baby I need to worry about? Those other bitches know damn well that I don't have the time to be with those kids 24-7. …Yeah, well, you do that. Okay. Whatever." He stopped yanking clothes out of the dryer and turned off his phone, cursing afterwards. 

"Great, it's _him,_ Miguel muttered as the guy picked up his basket and started to come around the square of other dryers he had apparently been sitting behind. Miguel patiently waited for the guy to walk over to where the guy could see him. 

"Well, well, well," the guy said, stopping short of the door he was headed for. He rested his basket on the floor and stood about seven feet away from Miguel. "If it isn't Miguel Labariel, one of those shitty Ryuus everybody's always talking about." 

"It's been a while since I've seen you, Marcos," Miguel said, smirking. "I've heard you've gotten yourself a couple of kids and a variety of baby mommas to go with them." 

"Heh, it happens when you keep as busy as I do," Marcos said, though not able to take Miguel's smirk impassively. "Something a brat like you wouldn't understand." 

"I've had my fair share of girls," Miguel said. He began adjusting the knobs on his guitar, pretending to tune it. "It's really not that hard. One mention of what gang I belong to and girls are all over me. Sometimes I don't even need to mention my status. But, hey, you've got me beat as a father. I haven't got any kids to speak of yet." 

"You think you're so great, huh?" Marcos said, pointing at him. "The Ryuugekitai ain't shit! You were better off in the Dragons with the rest of us, thinking you were the leader. Everyone is either scared of you guys, or thinks you're fucking great, but you're not! You're nothing but a bunch of high school punks pretending you're a real gang!" 

"At least we're still in high school," Miguel said, unaffected by his Ryuugekitai bashing. "I seem to recall that not soon after I joined the Ryuugekitai that you dropped out of high school. Pity, since you would have already graduated by this time--oh, well." 

"Shut the fuck up, Miguel." 

Miguel shrugged. "And as far as the Ryuugekitai's concerned," he went on, "we are just as great as everyone thinks and fears. I'm glad Dilandau-san saved me from the set up you and the others planned for me as the 'leader' of the Dragons. The best day of my life was when Dilandau-san offered to let me join his group." 

"You're just as stupid as you were back in middle school when we let you join the Dragons," Marcos said, glowering at Miguel. "You were stupid to think high school kids would want to be led by a pathetic middle school kid, and you're stupid now to be under Dilandau's command." 

"Aa (Yeah), I was stupid then," Miguel admitted with a snort, "but you're wrong, though, about following Dilandau-san. I wasn't cut out to be a leader, I guess, but Dilandau-san is the kind of guy that was born to be a leader. If he wasn't, the Ryuugekitai wouldn't be as successful as it is today." 

"It's not too late for you fools to meet your end," Marcos reminded him. 

Miguel smiled as if Marcos had said something very naïve. "I trust Dilandau-san's leadership even if he truly is a crazy bastard," he said. He started playing his guitar again, indicating that he had very little interest speaking to his former "lackey." 

"Che (Shit), I don't have anymore time to waste talking to a shit head like you," Marcos said. He hurriedly grabbed his basket and continued the rest of the way out of the laundromat. 

_And to think I could have been in jail because of that yarou (jerk),_ Miguel thought, now enjoying the tranquility of his music and the empty room. _I'm just lucky that Dilandau figured out those guys in the Dragons were going to set me up for some robberies, claiming I was the leader of those crimes… I guess I'm even luckier that Dilandau wanted me in his group, or else he wouldn't have saved me at all…_

Miguel shook his head, attempting to clear his mind of such thoughts. When he thought of the past like that, it really made him realize how much control Dilandau had over his fate. Miguel liked a good gamble as much as any gambler would, but that kind of risky situation wasn't the kind Miguel ever wanted to be put in again. Not that Miguel ever had any kind of concern that Dilandau would try to purposely set him up. Yes, Dilandau often made him and the others do most of the dirty work, but Dilandau hardly ever ordered them to do something incriminating that hadn't been safeguarded. In fact, one of the easiest ways to get slapped by Dilandau was doing sloppy work that could possibly implicate them. Dilandau may have been insane at times, but he was hardly ever stupid. 

As before, Miguel was quietly enjoying the sound of his guitar and the movement of his fingers upon the strings, taking little heed of his surroundings. Eventually he was going to check up on the washers he had running, but at the moment his mind was preoccupied. Of course, it quickly became alert again when he heard a familiar voice. 

"Miguel?" 

Miguel almost stood up and dropped his guitar before he got over his surprise and composed himself. "Rosa…" he said, leaning back into his seat and looking more like his usual smooth self. "I can't even remember the last time I saw you." 

"I know," Rosa said. She carried a basket over to the end of washer and then moved her dark back-length braid behind her shoulders. "The word on the street is that you're knee-deep in the Ryuugekitai." 

Miguel couldn't help himself from smiling like he did back when he had been pursuing Rosa endless in elementary school. "Yeah, it doesn't leave much time for other stuff," he agreed. 

Rosa only smiled and began to put a load of clothes into a machine. Miguel took that moment of brief silence to recall one of the times when he had been concentrating on only one girl. He supposed the reason he now, and had been for a long time, only concerned with whatever girl he was interested at the moment was because he had no time to waste following a single girl around. Then again, Miguel couldn't honestly say that he had met anyone worth his time like Rosa had been, even though most of his efforts to get her attention were in vain. 

"I see you can still play," Rosa said, breaking his thoughts. She set the washer for a regular cycle and then inserted the appropriate number of coins into its slot. 

"Aa (Yeah)," Miguel said. When Rosa faced him as she leaned against the washer, Miguel began to see the benefit of going to the laundromat. "I still remember that song I wrote for you back then." 

Rosa laughed, causing Miguel to recall how much he had enjoyed the sound of her laughter. "Masaka (No way)!" she said. "That was in the fifth grade. You couldn't still remember that song." 

"That was the first and only song I wrote for a girl," Miguel said, beginning to play a soft tune on his guitar as he spoke. He was tempted to actually play the song he had wrote, but the lyrics were a bit sappy for his tastes now. 

"You're still the same sweet talker," Rosa said, shaking her head as if she didn't believe his words. "I wonder if you're still as tricky." 

"If you mean do I still trick people out of their money," Miguel said, "then I guess that's still true. I haven't stopped swindling or gambling." 

"Same old Miguel." Rosa hopped up onto an adjacent washer that was unoccupied. 

"How about you? Have you changed any?" Miguel grinned. "I remember that you used to be a pretty good kisser." 

Rosa shrugged and crossed her legs. "You might know that if you hadn't been so determined to get yourself into the gang life." 

"I was born a swindler--it just comes naturally," Miguel said. "I can't help but dupe people into giving me their money." 

"Same thing you said back in elementary school," Rosa said. 

Miguel was grinning even wider now. "Ne, am I still a cute little fox?" he asked. "I think that's what you used to call me, deshou (right)?" 

"Yes, to both questions, even though you work for a snake like Dilandau." 

Miguel stopped playing at that moment, placing his guitar in the empty seat next to him. He walked over to Rosa with the same grin and stood in front of her. "Why don't we relive the past for a moment, since this is the first time we've seen each other in a long time?" he suggested. 

"People shouldn't live in the past," Rosa said, though matching his grin. "You should only look forward to the future." 

Miguel leaned closer to Rosa, placing his hands on the washer so that each hand seemed to prevent Rosa's movement from both her sides. "Well, then," he said, looking directly into Rosa's dark eyes, "maybe we should make some new memories…"   
  
********   
  


"…boring as hell," Dilandau said into the phone as he sat upon his bed. His eyes were fixated upon the flame he continuously flicked on and off from his lighter. Thoughts of burning certain things floated into his head, but luckily the person to whom he spoke was entertaining enough to distract him from those thoughts. 

"Well, why don't you sneak out and come to see me?" the female voice on the phone suggested. "I haven't seen you in months, Dilandau." 

Dilandau smirked and finally closed his lighter for good, pocketing it. "Hmm, sneaking out to go to a college campus sounds very tempting," he said. "Shikashi (However), I doubt I would come back home for a while." 

"That's fine--you can spend the night in my room. My roommate's going to be gone all weekend." 

"Sou ka (Is that right)?" Dilandau closed his eyes and let his head drop against his pillow. "Sounds like we could have a lot of fun." 

"Come on, Dilandau--please? At least come to the party they're holding tonight on campus. I told some people I might be able to convince you to come, and they're all looking forward to it." 

Dilandau sighed, though still smirking, and shook his head as if she could see him. "As much I want to get the hell out of this house and have some fun, I've decided to humor my brother this time," he said. "If I let him believe he has control over me, he'll back off a little. Although, if he ever thinks he'll trap me inside this house again for more than the time I spend sleeping here, he has another thing coming." 

The girl on the phone made a dismayed sound. "What did you do to get punished anyway?" she said. "If you've gotten away with all the other 'bad' things you've done, why is this time different?" 

"I got a little careless," Dilandau said, frowning a little. "I neglected to solve a problem I wasn't aware was so serious. I'll be taking care of that problem very soon, though." 

"Well, I hope you intend to make it up to me later for not being able to see me this weekend." 

"We'll see," Dilandau said, opening his eyes again, "or maybe I'll just let you miss me for a couple more months." 

"Hidoi (You're terrible), Dilandau," the girl whined. 

Dilandau chuckled as if her comment was a compliment. "You know you love it." The girl's following laughter confirmed his statement. 

"Well, I hate to leave you when you're all cooped up in that house of yours, but I have to go to this Saturday seminar in about ten minutes for extra credit," the girl said. "I'm gonna miss you tonight, even though that's exactly what you want me to do." 

"Just be glad I'm somebody worth missing," Dilandau said. 

The girl giggled. "I'll talk to you later, Dilandau." 

"Ja." As soon as Dilandau hung up the phone, a scowl appeared on his first. "Kuso (Shit)..." 

Dilandau sat up on his bed and stared ahead at his wall as if his eyes would emit fire at any moment. "I'm going to explode if I stay in this fucking house one more minute!" he snapped. "I just can't sit here waiting for it to be Monday--I hate waiting!" He emphasized this fact by grabbing his nearby lamp and throwing it across the room. 

After venting like this and repeatedly saying how much he hated his inactivity, Dilandau gradually calmed down again. He covered his face with his hand and drew in a deep breath. It wasn't as if he hadn't taken some advantage of his "jail sentence" at home; aside from the little stunt he had pulled on Allen on Friday, Dilandau had also given Allen a lot of trouble before he had gone off for the day. Apparently he was supposed to be giving a speech somewhere and hadn't gotten much peace to rehearse it. Dilandau had made that true, intentionally filling the house with music that was impossible to tune out and purposely wasting Allen's time by arguing he had the right to listen to music at that volume. Of course, Dilandau didn't stop there; he had a good idea that Allen summarized his speech onto index cards, so he made sure that Allen had a difficult time finding them as well as his full speech when he woke up. Dilandau had a great deal of fun watching his older brother fret about the speech he was going to make. Eventually Dilandau gave Allen a "suggestion" about where his speech and index cards could be, and Allen found them. Allen knew at that point that it was all Dilandau's doing, but at that moment Allen didn't have time to waste reprimanding him and left for the day. 

Dilandau started down his stairs carefully, knowing that his sister was still lurking about. He had hoped she would leave for the day and give him some peace, but he could hear her talking to someone (or perhaps herself) and knew that his wish wasn't going to be granted. Dilandau guessed he could endure her for the little time it took him to get something to drink and go back to his room. He had a feeling she wanted to talk to him, but he wasn't going to engage in a conversation with her. Doing so would most likely make him lose the bit of sanity that he managed to hold onto while being stuck at home. 

With this in mind, Dilandau entered the kitchen, giving little evidence of his presence there. He had intended to make himself deaf to the sound of his sister's voice in the other room, but he caught a few words as he pulled a glass from the cupboard. Before he could even get annoyed at the fact that he had to accept she existed, he heard a voice that always seemed like a voice from a dream. Dilandau froze for a second, waiting to hear the voice again. He almost wondered if he was still sleeping and didn't realize it until now. 

"It has been a little difficult though," came the voice from the other room. 

_There's no mistake!_ Dilandau thought. He dashed out of the kitchen and stood in the doorway of the family room. _I heard her…_

Celena was the first to look in Dilandau's direction, noticing his bewildered expression. "Di…landau?" she said. She didn't know whether it was stranger for him to suddenly be there or for him to have such a wide-eyed expression. "Is there something wrong?" 

"Konnichi wa, Dilandau-kun," Hitomi said as she turned to face him. "Nice to see you again." 

Dilandau didn't respond at first, unable to get over the shock that the mysterious girl he had just met four days ago was sitting in his den. His theory that he was dreaming seemed more and more likely, especially since he couldn't reason why she would be there. Then he remembered that Celena was actually sitting beside the girl he wasn't sure existed, giving him hope that he wasn't imagining her. That is, if he hadn't dreamed he was awake for almost half the day. 

"Kanzaki, why are you here?" Dilandau finally asked, looking between the two girls. 

"I'm spending some time with your sister," Hitomi said, smiling as if that was a silly question. 

"You know her?" Dilandau asked. He didn't bother to properly address his sister and thus making it clear to whom he was speaking, but he was steadily looking at Celena. 

"Ha…Hai…" Celena said, hoping Dilandau was talking to her. "Hitomi-san and I have a class together and we've started to become friends. She called last night to invite herself over." 

Dilandau took a step into the room, frowning as if he expected everything to melt away as he woke up from an elaborate dream. "This is real, isn't it?" he said. 

Celena raised a brow. "Huh?" 

"That's my fault, Celena-san," Hitomi said, laughing. "Recently when I've been talking to Dilandau-kun I've been doing a disappearing act, so I'm sure he's been wondering if I'm a figment of his imagination." 

"Sou ka (I see)…" Celena said, blinking at her new friend. She looked back at her brother who still didn't seem as though he believed what he saw was reality. 

"Would you...like to join us, Dilandau-kun?" Hitomi offered, neither of the twins noticing the bit of reserve in her words. Hitomi didn't notice that Celena looked surprised at the suggestion. 

"Hmph," Dilandau said. He didn't like the idea of having to sit down with them, but he hated thinking he was crazy even more. If a few minutes with them would assure him that Hitomi actually existed, it was worth the trouble. 

Celena couldn't believe it when Dilandau sat down beside Hitomi. Her new friend seemed to treat his acceptance of her invitation casually, but that was understandable since Hitomi probably had no clue how big of deal it was to Celena. Neither Celena nor Allen could even get Dilandau to sit to the table with them, let alone sit down in the family room and simply talk. Dilandau gave the appearance he was beyond words, and the only thing they had to hope for was for Dilandau to just grow out of his desire to separate himself from the family. Celena knew that staring at Dilandau could possibly make him leave the room faster, but she couldn't help herself. Just as Dilandau thought Hitomi's presence was a dream, so did Celena think her brother's presence was an illusion. 

"Why is it that every time I look away from you, you disappear?" Dilandau asked. He ignored his sister for the moment, believing her hearing their conversation was of little concern. 

"Go...gomen ne, Dilandau-kun," Hitomi said with a chuckle that sounded as if it was made to cover up discomfort. "I tend to do that whenever I get nervous." 

"Nervous?" That was the last thing he expected her to say. Dilandau had always been keen about detecting others' levels of anxiety, especially when they were caused by himself. Hitomi had never sounded anxious or made nervous gestures those two times he had spoken to her; why was she giving him such a response? Besides, Hitomi had told him the first time she had left was because she had to go see Van for whatever reason. Her new explanation suggested that she was either lying now or had been lying the second time he had spoken to him. 

"Ee (Yes)," Hitomi said. Her smile didn't really help Dilandau believe her any better. "I'm good at appearing calmer than I really am. In truth, I'm intimidated by your popularity and your reputation as the leader of the Ryuugekitai." 

"So you having to leave to see Fanel was a lie then," Dilandau said. He leaned back into the couch, having a feeling he wasn't going to leave as soon as he thought. 

"I did leave to see him, but that was just a convenient reason to leave..." Hitomi said. She laughed and shook her head. "You must think I'm purposely trying to make you upset." Celena felt like asking questions at that moment, but she was sure that if she did, Dilandau wouldn't excuse her interruption. 

"How do you know Fanel?" Dilandau asked, remembering when he had first inquired about her connection to her enemy that she hadn't answered him. 

"He's an old friend," Hitomi explained. "I met him when we were both still living in Mystic Moon, and we both happened to move here to Gaea later on." 

_Tomodachi desu ka (Friend, is it)?_ Dilandau thought. _I know I don't like Fanel, but Hitomi I don't know... Something tells me I shouldn't like the idea the two of them are friends..._

"I foresee you two butting heads this school year," Hitomi said. She glanced at Celena. "Demo, I don't need to be psychic to figure that out, ne?" 

"Ee (Yes)," Celena said, wondering if Hitomi's words would encourage Dilandau to shed some light on why he hit Van a couple days ago. 

"Hmph!" Dilandau said, unable to shake the frown on his face. "Fanel isn't going to be a problem for me...not for much longer anyway..." 

"Hai, someone else is going to be a bigger problem for you," Hitomi said. Once again, she didn't take heed of the stares she was getting. 

"What the hell do you mean?" Dilandau said. His frown lifted for a moment as he recalled the last time she had said something cryptic to him. "Omae (You)...last time you said something as if you knew that I was going to end up hitting Fanel..." 

"Hitomi-san?" Celena said. Hitomi was only smiling now and Celena didn't care whether or not Dilandau didn't like her intrusion. If Hitomi could predict some of the terrible things Dilandau were going to do, then perhaps Celena could persuade him not to do them before he did. 

"My visions can only show me limited scenarios of the future," Hitomi said. "Plus, they don't always happen as I see them. Dilandau-kun still could have chosen to settle his disagreement with Van in a different manner." 

Dilandau's brows lowered and he felt himself becoming irritated at her endless smile and mysterious manner. "Oi," he said, suddenly glancing at Celena. 

"Ha-Hai?" Celena said, jumping a little because she hadn't expected Dilandau to turn his attention upon her. 

"I came down here to get something to drink," Dilandau said. "Doesn't matter what the drink is--get it for me." 

"Um, sure…" Celena said. She rose from the couch and slowly exited the room. 

Dilandau placed his hand on Hitomi's shoulder. "What kind of game are you playing with me?" he said softly but with an sharp tone. "How the hell could you see my future??" 

"Dilandau-kun," Hitomi said with the same softness, but her usual tone, "just because I'm friends with Van doesn't mean you have to mistrust me. I have no intentions of getting in the way of you and the Ryuugekitai...even though I know you guys are always up to no good." 

"So, what the hell do you want with me??" Dilandau said, hiding the fact he was taken back by her perception. Indeed he had been wondering if Hitomi and Van were working together to cause him and his gang trouble. 

"I...just want to be your friend...Dilandau-kun..." Hitomi said, her blushing visible enough for Dilandau to notice. "I've wanted that since I met you all those years ago." 

"Nani?" Dilandau didn't know why, but seeing her express timidity made him feel like it was the first time he had ever seen anyone embarrassed. Such was not the case, and Dilandau had always taken pleasure whenever people were nervous around him, especially since he usually intentionally provoked people to become meek in his presence. He guessed that he had already formed an opinion of Hitomi and thought she was always smiling and never surprised. 

"I always hoped I'd have another chance to meet you again," Hitomi continued, "even though I had a vision that you might be a different person when I met you for the second time." 

Dilandau frowned. "I don't understand," he said. "How the hell can you have visions of what will happen to me??" 

"Ano…" Celena said as she entered the room, "I brought you some orange juice, Dilandau… Hitomi-san?" Hitomi was now standing, to both of the twins' surprise. 

"I'm going to have to excuse myself early," Hitomi said with a regretful smile. She was looking at her watch. "It seems it's already time for me to head back home. Time went by much more quickly than I expected." 

"Oh…" Celena said. "Well, I'm sorry to see you leave so soon--" 

"Matte (Wait)!" Dilandau said, standing up in front of her path. "You're doing it again--running off before I'm through talking with you!" 

"Gomen, Dilandau-kun…" Hitomi said. She looked away from him with a sort of timid expression. "This time I'm not conveniently slipping out before I lose my composed facade... I promised I would return before three-thirty, and it's nearly that time now. Besides, if I don't leave now, I won't be able to ride the city bus back home for at least two hours. I'll see you at school, Dilandau-kun." 

"Omae..." Dilandau said, unable to think she was telling the truth. 

Hitomi casually walked around Dilandau and past Celena. "I'll see myself out. Celena-san--mata ne (later)!" 

"U…Uhn (Ye...Yeah)," Celena said, amazed at her quick departure. She turned to Dilandau who seemed quite frustrated. "Is there something going on between you and Hitomi-san?" 

"That's none of _your_ business," Dilandau said. As he walked past her, he snatched the glass from her hand. 

Celena was halfway offended by the way her brother took off and halfway perplexed by the interaction between Hitomi and Dilandau. _Something is going on between those two,_ she thought. _And if I ever want to be close to Dilandau again, I think I should find out exactly what their connection is…_   
  
********   
  


"Maji de (You serious)?" Dallet said, practically in Miguel's face. 

"Yeah, I'm serious," Miguel said, seated next to him. He folded his arms over his chest, not attempting to mask his boastful smile. "We had that place all to ourselves for like two hours. After that I think the old lady that owns that place came in, so we tried to make ourselves decent." 

"Man, at a _laundromat,_" Dallet said. He put a hand to his chin. "I didn't know you could be so creative, Miguel." 

"Hmph, well, I bet it hasn't topped anything _you've_ ever done," Miguel said. "You've probably had sex just about everywhere." 

"A playboy's gotta play," Dallet said, smirking. Miguel only snorted. 

"Oi!" Viole said, slamming his fist on the table. "What the hell's up with this?? Damn Shesta and Gatty said be at the Vione at four o'clock, and now it's past that time and neither of those bastards are here yet!" 

"Heh, what a fucking power trip," Guimel said, beside his impatient friend. "If Dilandau-san wasn't coming back on Monday, I'd already stopped listening to them." 

"Who cares what they do," Dallet said, glaring as if he could already see them. "We all know that Dilandau-san remains the head of this gang." 

"Yeah, Dilandau-san isn't going to let them get away with abusing the power he gave them," Miguel added. "They may think they have it good now, but they'll be sorry when Dilandau-san comes back." 

"Demo what's with this stupid meeting??" Viole demanded. "We don't have meetings unless Dilandau-san makes them!" 

"Yeah," Guimel agreed. Dallet and Miguel nodded in unison. 

"You guys bitch more than girls," Gatty said as he appeared next to the table. Behind him with a folder in hand was Shesta. 

"Sorry we're late," Shesta said, sitting down at the table. "Dilandau-san called and made some modifications to his plans for Monday, so I had to go back and reprint our instructions." 

"Instructions?" Miguel repeated. 

"Nan da (What is it)?" Gatty said as he sat across from Shesta and next to Dallet. "Did you guys think we'd waste this great free time by making our _own_ meeting?" He and Shesta laughed. 

"Well…you two have been pretty arrogant since Dilandau-san left you in charge," Viole said. 

"We're only doing as Dilandau-san has told us, nothing more," Shesta said. He began handing out sheets to his friends. "You think we're stupid enough to take advantage of Dilandau's temporary absence?" 

"Yeah, the only ones stupid enough to do that are _you_," Gatty said, pointing at Viole and Guimel. "Dilandau-san's not too happy that the sales of ART cards dropped during the three days he was gone." 

Viole and Guimel looked nervous, causing the others to laugh. However, Miguel and Dallet, recalling that they had each done a little slacking off since Dilandau had been gone, were secretly wondering if Dilandau were displeased with them as well. Miguel knew that Gatty hadn't been doing a full week's worth job himself, but he didn't bother to bring it up in the fears that Gatty would note something Dilandau was unsatisfied with Miguel. When Dilandau's wrath was concerned, knowing it was coming was not better than being blissfully unaware. 

"This plan is going to involve everyone, although each of our involvement in it isn't equal," Gatty said, looking over his own instructions. 

"You're telling me!" Miguel said, looking at the sheets of paper. "Gatty, you barely have anything to do with this plan!" 

"Oi," Gatty said, narrowing his eyes, "do you know who I have to contact to get crack in such short notice?? Someone I'd like to avoid dealing with as little as possible." 

"Heh, it's no sweat for us," Viole said, nudging Guimel. "We're mostly doing backup." 

Guimel let out a breath. "For something like this, I'm glad we don't have a big part in it," he said. 

"Che (Shit), I guess it's the only thing you guys are _qualified_ to do," Dallet said, laying his instructions on the table in front of him. "It looks like Dilandau-san's not letting Adelphos off easy… I wonder how I'll get into the girls' locker room…" 

"Even as much as I don't like my part in this plan," Shesta said, smiling nervously, "I'll have to admit that it's one of the most elaborate plans Dilandau-san has put together for us. If one of us doesn't come through with their part, the whole thing's messed up." 

"Which means," Gatty added, looking at the two who thought they had it the easiest, "that even you two have to careful not to mess up. Your part may be mostly acting like guards, but Dilandau-san stressed that we are to have no witnesses and no proof of what we've done." 

"Wakatta yo (I get it)!" Viole said. He smirked at Gatty. "You just be careful dealing with that guy. We wouldn't want anything happening to you." 

"Anyway," Shesta said, keeping Gatty quiet except for some grumbling from him, "we don't need to be arguing at a time like this. If we mess something this big up, Dilandau-san would probably kill all of us." 

"Probably?" Guimel repeated. He shook his head. "I don't even want to _think_ about what he'd do." 

"Na (Say), Shesta," Miguel said, deciding not to ask Gatty who was still muttering about Viole's previous comment, "how's Dilandau-san doing? I mean, I bet he's going crazy being stuck at home." 

"Crazy's not the word…" Shesta muttered. 

"He seems worse today," Gatty noted, finally letting his resentment pass. "He was even more testy than usual--like someone had pissed him off recently." 

"It was probably Allen," Dallet said. Then he smiled lightly. "Couldn't image his sister annoying him so much." 

"Damn, I still can't believe she's Dilandau-san's sister!" Viole said. "That girl is hot!" 

"Yeah, Dilandau-san should have shown us her a long time ago," Miguel said. "Not that she doesn't stand out on her own…" 

"A girl like that you could have a lot of fun with…" Guimel said, chuckling. The others agreed, except Shesta who was red-faced. 

"Oi, we're supposed to be having a meeting here!" Shesta said, interrupting the comments about Celena. "If you could all get your minds out of the gutter long enough you might remember that Dilandau-san doesn't want us concerning ourselves with his sister." 

"What's the problem, Shesta?" Gatty said, grinning at his flustered friend. "Dilandau-san didn't say we couldn't _talk_ about her. What's the harm in discussing a pretty girl we've seen at school?" 

"We…Well…" Shesta said. 

"Aw, we're being rude guys," Dallet said. "I forgot that Shesta isn't into girls like the rest of us." Miguel, Guimel, and Viole laughed with him. 

"Dallet…" Shesta said, gripping the edge of the table. 

"Okay, let's get back to business so we can end this thing already," Gatty said, waving his hand to indicate Shesta should just let it slide. The others gradually stopped laughing and agreed with his suggestion, but Shesta's face retained its color. The blonde Ryuu continued to be flustered throughout the remainder of their meeting.   
  
********   
  


Dilandau had handled his return to school (as well as the end of his punishment) with more calm than he should have. Saturday had been particularly annoying for him, almost causing him to forget his intention of placating Allen so that he'd have the impression he was in charge, but Sunday had been better. Allen was gone for nearly the whole day again, and Celena had been dragged out of the house by her friends shortly after she returned from church with Allen. That whole day had practically been quiet, allowing Dilandau time to cool off and think of what he had in store for Monday. In fact, his thoughts of how much fun he was going to have on Monday put him in a pretty good mood as he returned to the halls of Zaibach High School. His friends heeded his good mood with caution; they were all on their toes, in regard to the fact their plan had to be carried out flawlessly. That also contributed to Dilandau's light attitude as he strolled on his way to his history class. It was nice to see that his group knew that any mistakes they would make would be disastrous for them all. 

"Dilandau-sama, okaeri nasai (welcome back)!" a girl said as Dilandau passed her. 

Dilandau smirked. "Domo (Thanks)," he said. That had been one of many happy returns he had been given by his admirers. Of course, Dilandau had gotten many expressions of displease in his direction because he had returned to school, but he enjoyed those equally as much as the sounds of people welcoming him back. 

"D!" 

This time Dilandau actually stopped and looked back at the person who had called him. "Omae (You)," he said. 

"Good to have ya back, man, D," Maurice said, shaking Dilandau's hand. "Zaibach just ain't right without 'cha." 

"Ah, naru hodo (I see)," Dilandau said, putting his hand to his chin. "There's something you want from me, deshou (am I right)?" 

"Shit, man, you too damn smart!" Maurice said, grinning. "I've been tryin' to hook up with yo boy, G, but I ain't been able to holla at him so we can do some business." 

"You won't be able to get anything from him today," Dilandau said. "Shesta got a heads-up there's going to be a 'surprise' drug inspection at noon, so Gatty's made sure his supply is unavailable today." 

"Aw, fo real?" Maurice took out cellular messenger and quickly began typing in that information. "I better let my boys know about that." 

"Tomorrow, though, you can catch Gatty on the courtyard before school starts to get whatever you need," Dilandau said, grinning. 

"True, true," Maurice said. He finished sending messages to his friends and pocketed the device again. "All right, D, take it easy. Word 'round the school is, Old Man Adelphos has it in fo you, man." 

"Oh?" Dilandau said, snickering long enough to make Maurice wonder what was so funny. "What a coincidence." 

Maurice raised a brow, but decided he didn't want to know what was going on in Dilandau's head. "You fool for real [1], D--catch you later, man!" 

"Ja (Later)," Dilandau said, watching Maurice leave. _Soon he and everyone else in this school is going to know exactly what my little joke is…_

Dilandau glanced at his watch, noticing that the time left for him to get to class was almost less than a minute. He hadn't wanted to be early for the loathsome class, but he didn't want to be tardy either. Dilandau wanted to give the impression that he intended to be a better student at the school, at least in the teacher's eyes. History class was going to be the best place to "prove" that, considering his new enemy was in that class. However, at the moment, Van was of little concern. Adelphos was first, then Van was next. 

"Ah, Dilandau-sama!" a girl said, the first to notice his entry into the classroom. "Okaeri nasai!" Several other girls joined her greeting as Dilandau took his seat with a steady smile. 

Every student in the class was looking at Dilandau, including Van whose gaze was the most intense of them all. The dark-haired teenager couldn't stand how nonchalant Dilandau seemed after attacking him and being suspended. If he didn't know any better, Van would say that Dilandau hadn't been punished at all. If it weren't for the bell ringing and marking the beginning of class, Van would have said a few words to the Ryuugekitai leader. 

"Well…Schezar-san," Dilandau's aged teacher said as she stood in front of the class. "I trust you learned your lesson from your irrational assault upon a certain student and that you won't commit such an unnecessary violent act again." 

Dilandau couldn't help but smile as if his teacher had said a wonderful joke. "I learned something," he said. 

"Kisama (Bastard)…" Van muttered from the other side of the classroom. 

"Good," the teacher said. "You've missed some important lectures, so you have no time to waste by being a delinquent." 

"Hmph," Dilandau said. He leaned back into his seat and then took a glance at Van. Van's dark eyes burned into Dilandau's, but Dilandau was anything but annoyed. Though he hadn't completely settled the score with Van, Dilandau was pleased to see the prominent bruise on his cheek. Besides that, Van seemed to be furious with Dilandau and seeking some kind of vengeance that Dilandau had no intention of giving him a chance for. Dilandau averted his attention to the ceiling, enjoying the thought that Van would be even more pissed at his indifferent manner toward him. 

Van wasn't aware of it, but his rising anger at Dilandau's dismissive attitude toward him was exactly what Dilandau wanted. Dilandau's plans for both Adelphos and Van Fanel were going exactly as planned.   
  
********   
  


"Is he coming yet?" Guimel asked Viole on his cell phone. 

"He outta be," Viole's reply came from the phone. "I buzzed the office that he was needed, so he should be coming your way." 

"Ah! Here he comes!" Guimel said, ducking behind a corner as Adelphos came his way. "I just hope he does what he's supposed to do…" 

"According to Dilandau-san, one of his pet peeves is littering," Viole assured him. 

Indeed as Adelphos came walking down the hall, his eyes caught sight of a clear plastic bag laying on the floor about five feet from a near empty trash can. "Damn kids and their littering!" Adelphos said as he bent down and grabbed the bag. He examined the bag, turning it over with both his hands. "This doesn't even look like it's been used… Rotten kids…" 

Guimel smiled as Adelphos tossed the bag into the trash can and went on his way, muttering about littering. As soon as he was gone Guimel went over to the trash can and carefully pulled out the bag with the hand he had protected by a glove. He grinned and put his cell phone back to his ear with his free ungloved hand. 

"No problems here," Guimel said. "I'm gonna deliver this to Gatty." 

"Yoshi (All right), I'll see you in the parking lot later." 

"Aa." Guimel turned off his phone and headed for Gatty's current location.   
  
********   
  


"Hai (Here)," Dallet said, handing Shesta the large brown business envelope. 

Shesta took the envelope, his hands gloved just as Dallet's were. "How'd you get into the locker room?" 

"I snuck in during a class period right after all the girls were finished getting their gym clothes," Dallet said, his tone suggesting it was no easy task. "I planted the spy camera on the wall above the showers and then got the hell out way before anyone would have noticed." 

"Sou ka (I see)," Shesta said, staring at the envelope. 

"It was harder sneaking into the photography club's room," Dallet said, frowning. "One of those freaks was in there while I was trying to print out the pictures, but I managed to get him to leave the room so I could use their computer and photo printer." 

"Did you use their photo paper?" 

"No, I brought my own and I didn't leave any fingerprints in the process." 

"Good, because we only want one person's fingerprints on these photos." 

"Wakatta (I get you)," Dallet said, taking off his gloves. "Glad my part's over with. Hope you don't screw up your part." 

"Hmph," Shesta said, "I'll get the job done." 

"Hope you can handle glancing at those sexy pictures," Dallet said. "It'll be your first time seeing a naked girl." 

"I can do my job without having to look at these depraved pictures, thank you!" Shesta said. He started walking away, leaving his smirking friend behind. 

"Yeah, right," Dallet said.   
  
********   
  


"Kuso (Shit), I can't believe I'm gonna have to trust those fools to be lookout…" Miguel said, glad the car he broke into was easy to break into because of its age. He carefully placed a plastic bag with filled with the white substance behind the driver's seat of the car. He then opened the bag and pulled out a pinch of its contents out, sprinkling a light trail from the bag to the driver's seat. Finally he dusted off his gloved hands over the seat, carefully exited the car from the passenger side, and locked back both doors to give the car the appearance of never being broken in. This was one of Miguel's specialty, though when car breakage was concerned, he often didn't do as good of a job not leaving evidence. 

"Good thing his car's so old…" Miguel remarked as he made sure no one was around. Finding no one, he quickly exited the parking lot, meeting up with Guimel and Viole who were standing at the end of the path hat led into the fenced area. "Oi, any trouble?" 

"There was some guy coming to get something out of his car, but it didn't take much persuasion to make him leave," Guimel said, glancing at his friend. 

"You got that right," Viole said, putting his hands behind his head. He snorted. "I guess having two Ryuus in your way is more than enough to make a person run off." 

"Whatever…" Miguel said. "Can I have the bag?" 

Viole held up an open a small trash bag and Miguel removed his glove and placed them into the bag. "So, you didn't run into any problems?" Viole asked. 

"Hell no--that damn car can barely lock," Miguel said. He smiled and glanced at his clothes. "Well, I'm off to get rid of these clothes. It's almost noon, so the drug bust should be starting soon." 

"Aa (Yeah)," Viole said, tying up the bag. "I'll get rid of this and you can call Gatty to let him know everything is fine." 

"Right," Guimel said, taking out his cell. The three Ryuus then went their separate ways, each having a final task to complete before they would be allowed to return to class.   
  
********   
  


"Yes, Dilandau-san, I have them in the envelope," Shesta said, quietly into his cell. He glanced around in the hall to make sure that no teachers were around. "I'm just waiting for Adelphos to leave his office… They're already here? What if they find it before I'm finished?? …I…Iie, Dilandau-san. I'm not doubting the success of your plan. I'm sure everything will go as you plan." He flicked a bead of sweat from his forehead with a gloved finger. 

Adelphos came out his office and closed the door behind him, heading to the faculty mail room as he did every did at about 12:35. Shesta, standing in the hall in the opposite direction Adelphos had left, took that opportunity to enter Adelphos's now empty office and closed the door back. He let out a breath, not caring that Dilandau would hear that. 

"Yes, I'm in now, so I'll call you back when I'm through with everything," Shesta said. He took out a small container of liquid from his pocket with his free hand, pouring the contents of the small tube into the tall half-drunken mug of coffee on Adelphos desk. Next, he went over to the window behind Adelphos's desk and unlatched its lock. "Hai. I won't forget. Ja." 

Shesta turned off his phone, pocketed it, and then opened the window. He stepped out of it, making sure that didn't close it tight enough to prevent himself from opening from the outside. From his viewpoint, he had the most dangerous job of all the Ryuus put together. True, Miguel came in at a close two and Gatty had to worry about making sure his locker didn't tip off any of the drug dogs, but Shesta felt that sneaking into the principal's office to do what he had to do was one of the most riskiest things he had been ordered to do. Usually Dilandau didn't order him to do such things, but Shesta supposed he was the best for the job. He was in the part of the school were all the administrators and the guidance counselor's offices were located, which meant that few students were likely to be hanging around the halls. Since Shesta was the least threatening of the six, a few passing teachers would overlook him (even though most teachers were aware of his status at school). 

Shesta stood so that his face was barely seen looking into the window. He had to wait a good fifteen minutes before the principal returned, which not only made Shesta wonder if he was running out of time but also annoyed at the fact Adelphos had taken so long. He guessed he had been around Dilandau so long that he had picked up his tendency to be impatient. Shesta ducked down and waited for a minute as Adelphos faced the window while he was placing some papers and envelopes on his desk. When Shesta felt that it was safe again, he lifted his head enough so that he could peek into Adelphos's office. 

Adelphos was sitting in his chair now, obviously reading whatever was in front of him. Shesta frowned and silently urged Adelphos to drink his coffee. If he didn't drink it before the other part of the plan went under way, Shesta's (as well as Dallet's) efforts would be in vain. And of course, Shesta had a good feeling that Dilandau would blame Shesta as the cause of the failure. The blonde shuddered to think of what Dilandau would do, especially since he was still secretly in a bad mood for having to spend five straight days at home. 

It was hard for Shesta to estimate, especially since Adelphos's drinking lasted for different intervals, but he guessed that in about ten minutes the principal would have drunken the rest of his coffee. His estimate wasn't too off; Adelphos was reading whatever he had laid on his desk, so he was absently drinking from his mug. Shesta let out a sigh of relief as it seemed Adelphos had finished the contents of his mug. Dilandau had told him it would take just about a minute for the effects to kick in after Adelphos consumed the entire dosage of the drug. Shesta had been wary of drugging someone (especially when he had no clue where Dilandau had obtained it from), but Dilandau assured him that not only would it not harm Adelphos (though Dilandau didn't completely assure Shesta) but it would also become untraceable once it entered his body. Its only purpose was to put Adelphos to sleep for approximately ten minutes, which Shesta was supposed to use to his full advantage. In other words, Shesta had no time to waste once Adelphos was out. 

Shesta carefully watched Adelphos, noting that his head was beginning to bob around the back of his chair. He hand rose to his head briefly before his hand dropped and his head fell back limply. Shesta forced away his conscience for the moment and allowed Dilandau to be his motivator. He was fortunate that there was a concrete walkway outside Adelphos's office so that when he reentered the principal's office, he let in no grass debris from his shoes. This was almost as crucial as his next step--placing the photos on Adelphos's desk. It wasn't a difficult task physically, especially since he was wearing the gloves, but Shesta was having a hard time not getting distracted by just glancing at the photos. He even recognized some of the girls captured in the shots from his classes and knew that he'd never be able to get the image out of his head upon seeing them in class again. 

_Damn Dallet was right…_ Shesta thought, placing enough pictures on the desk. He took out a couple more before laying the envelope (which matched the large envelopes already on the principal's desk) in between the photos and other items on his desk. Shesta, realizing he had been a little slow because of his distraction, was even quicker to unhook the ring of keys at Adelphos's belt. Though he had no knowledge of which key unlocked the drawers in his desk, he assumed the smallest key was the one. Shesta tried it out on the first drawer, unlocked it, and then unlocked the subsequent drawers. Finally, he grabbed one of Adelphos's hands and made sure that each photo had his fingerprints plainly on them before placing a few of the photos into each drawer. 

Shesta cursed, aware that his ten minutes were nearly over by the time he relocked the drawers and replaced Adelphos's ring of keys. He had yet to make sure the photos on the principal's desk had his fingerprints on them, something that was vital to the whole incriminating plan. Shesta took both of Adelphos's hands and slide them over both the back in front of the photos in a manner that appeared as though he had been holding them. He did the same for the envelope before laying it back on his desk. Just as Shesta placed the principal's hands back in their previous position, he heard Adelphos murmuring as he started to stir. Shesta also heard some commotion in the hall as if someone were approaching, so he had to really move it to step out of the window once again. He barely made it out as someone began banging on Adelphos's door and Adelphos truly began to wake up. 

Shesta crouched next to the window once again, so that he could peek into the office. He couldn't hear the knocking now, but he guessed that it was still continuing when Adelphos unsteadily rose from his chair (still too groggy to notice the new items on his desk) to answer his door. Adelphos was obviously surprised at the unfriendly officer at his door, but Shesta was not. He wiped his wet forehead, knowing that if his timing had been off, he would have totally screwed up the plan. Ending up in jail wasn't so scary compared to the thought of Dilandau killing him before the police could arrest him. 

Adelphos and the officer were talking for only two minutes before the officer got sight of what was on his desk. He took a step past Adelphos and seemed to be questioning the yawning Adelphos about the photos. Shesta placed a hand over his mouth to repress his laughter as Adelphos became fully awake with a shocked expression on his face; Shesta knew it was wrong, but it was funny to see the old man so flustered and trying to figure out where the photos had came from. Adelphos didn't get much time to explain himself because the officer seem to demand the other man to leave his office (and accompany him to his car, Shesta guessed). Before the anxious Adelphos and the officer left, the officer pulled out his walkie-talkie and spoke into it. Shesta guessed the officer's action was concerning the photos, and Shesta let out a breath as Adelphos's office became empty again. 

His final task was also trickiest, especially since Shesta clearly heard Adelphos's protests of outrage throughout the hall as he entered the office for the third time. He relocked the window, and then slowly poked his head out of the open doorway. Shesta ducked back into the office, seeing a couple of teachers heading in the direction Adelphos had been led, and waited a good five minutes before he looked out again. The second time the hall was clear and Shesta traveled in the opposite direction the principal and teachers had gone. Shesta was completely relieved when he was out of that hall and in a safer hall. 

_God, that was nerve-wrecking…_ Shesta thought, taking out his cell. He pressed a button that had Dilandau's number preset to dial. "Dilandau-san? Hai. Everything went smoothly…"   
  
********   
  


"Who knew Old Man Adelphos was a crackhead??" one girl said among the huge crowd of students watching their principal being taken into custody near one of the courtyards. 

"I always thought he was a dirty old man, but…" another girl commented. She balled up his fists. "I hope they lock him up forever! I'll never feel safe taking a shower in the school with him around!" 

"I don't believe this," Van said, as he managed to squeeze into the crowd so he could see. "Why would Adelphos issue a drug inspection and leave cocaine in his car?" 

"Apparently Adelphos was unaware of the day the actual inspection would take place," Hitomi said, though she knew Van was hardly over their little issue. "The guidance department handled the whole thing, so only they were informed when the bust would occur." 

"Still, that's pretty stupid," Van said, seeing Adelphos pushed into a police car. "He'd still would have to have approved it and known it was coming some time." 

"Maybe he didn't know they were going to use drug dogs to inspect the parking lot," Hitomi offered. Though she honestly meant her words, she had the distinct feeling that something was amiss as well. She had had the feeling since school began, but her vision wouldn't allow her to see what the exact mishap would be. Hitomi guessed it had something to do with Dilandau, but she wasn't sure this time. She foresaw that Dilandau was going to have another obstacle soon, but Adelphos's arrest didn't seem as though it had a connection with her vision. 

Of course, Hitomi was inclined to figure Dilandau had involvement when she heard Dilandau's laughter clearly over the murmurings of the student body. The Ryuugekitai was near the front of the crowd, with a clear sight of Adelphos's arrest. Van noticed them as well, aware of their location after hearing Dilandau laughing. He glared in their direction, also getting the impression that the Ryuugekitai had something to do with the principal's arrest. 

Dilandau may have had the most vibrant grin among the Ryuugekitai, but the others still seemed to be pleased (or relieved). "Sayonara, Adelphos-kouchou," Dilandau said, not at all as if he didn't want others to hear. His following laughter seemed to quiet down the crowd and direct more attention upon himself and his gang. 

"He's history," Viole commented, chuckling. "We'll never see that geezer again!" 

"Another of Dilandau-san's plans succeeds," Miguel muttered so that only his friends would be able to hear. He was almost tempted to laugh along with Dilandau, but simply decided to smirk. _These are the times I'm really glad I'm following Dilandau,_ he thought.   
  


--Some Footnotes:  
  
[1]- "Fool fo real" is like saying someone is really crazy. Just more slang I've heard before.   
  
  


--Next Chapter: Dilandau the Kindred Spirit (once again, title may change): Dallet's entrance into the Ryuugekitai is explained and Zaibach High goes through one of the greatest changes with their principal now gone. Dilandau starts to concentrate on getting rid of Van, but realizes that he has someone else to worry about. Celena attempts to talk to some of Dilandau's friends, and Hitomi interacts with Dilandau some more. What other stuff's in store for this chapter? I have no idea. Anyway, I expect to have a chapter out by December... Yeah, I know that's a while, but it always takes me a while to update my other two fics (though I'll be ending one of them very soon). Well, hope you'll want to read on! Bai! 


End file.
